


Change of Mind

by geeklady



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2016-04-29
Packaged: 2018-06-05 04:49:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 30,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6690097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geeklady/pseuds/geeklady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Sam ask the Slayers for help after the opening of the Devil's Gate. Dean/Buffy</p><p>Originally posted on FanFiction.net, but moved here as well. </p><p>Hi All,</p><p>Just a quick word to let you know when this story is based. Its season 3 of Supernatural and after the events of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Year 2007. Ages are:-</p><p>Buffy: 26</p><p>Faith: 27</p><p>Sam: 24</p><p>Dean: 28</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Life in Cleveland had been inconsistent since the move from SunnyD. One minute they are up to their necks in demony goodness, the next its complete dullsville. Normally, dullsville? Not a bad thing, but being in charge of Slayer Incorporated, it meant paperwork. That, or impending doom. Buffy took a look around her modest office and wondered if impending doom would really be that bad.

"Hey B, what's crackin'?" Faith asked as she flopped in the desk chair directly across from Buffy.

"Weighing the pros and cons of another apocalypse, you?"

"Well, I definitely have something that would interest you," Faith replied with a smile, propping her legs up on Buffy's desk. Somehow after becoming a high ranking, respected member of The Council and The Scooby Gang, Faith still managed to portray the definition of nonchalance. She was still clad in her trademark biker clothing, most of it being tight and/or leather. I wonder if her pjs come in leather Buffy thought with an internal snort.

"Don't leave me hanging, what's the what?" Buffy sat back in her chain, folding her arms underneath her chest.

"You remember me telling you about those total hunnies I met while hunting that Wendigo, back in '05?" Buffy nodded in acknowledgement. "Well I gave them my number in case they ever could use a hand in the slayage, and I just received a call from their boy Bobby, and something big is happening. Like 'could use the head honcho of the scoobs' big."

Buffy snorted "You really think Giles is going to let me just run off to help some huntin' hotties?"

"B, you're the boss, do what you want! Plus, this is kinda the reason why everything has been quiet. All the things that go bump in the night have been keeping their heads down. Apparently someone high on the food chain downstairs has been working real hard on something, something that just exploded in South Wyoming." Faith cocked her head to the side, watching Buffy process all the information just handed to her.

"Bobby wants to know if we'll go on the road with them, lend a helping hand and all that. Things are about to get real dark, real quick and we could really make a difference. I mean, aren't you sick of being stuck behind a desk? I know I am! This isn't what Slayers are for, we should be out there fighting the good fight!"

"I guess Will and Kennedy could handle things here for a couple of months, I mean, they have been in South America for a while now," Buffy trailed off in thought, wondering if she should really be considering leaving her post.

"Look B, the boys are going to be here tomorrow, they just finished up a job in Elizabethtown and will be hangin' around for a couple of days before going off again, just talk to them, sleep on it and we'll go from there." Faith said as she was getting up to leave.

"Faith, wait! If I am going to be riding off in the distance with two guys, you could at least tell me their names"

"Sam and Dean Winchester"

"Sammy, please explain to me why we are even bothering with these chicks?" Dean asked for what seemed like the tenth time, as he turned down the Zeppelin playing on the radio. It had been a long night, and they decided to skip town before anyone started asking questions about the dead townspeople that had been possessed. The lack of sleep was starting to take its toll on Dean's patience.

"Bobby thinks they can help, and if we're gunna be honest with ourselves, we kind of need all the help we can get," Sam replied with a sigh. "I mean you saw what that Faith chick could do! Imagine a whole army of them!"

"That's what worries me, man. I mean, we both know where there power comes from. You can't tell me that doesn't worry you too. Bunch of teenage girls with demon essence, there is bound to be a defect or two."

"Yeah I guess it does, but I don't see how we have much of a choice. This is our fault, Dean. We didn't stop the Gate from opening and now people are suffering. If asking them for help can solve things, than that's what we're going to do." Sam didn't bother explaining his other reason for going to the slayers for help. He knew his brother would be against it, but if they are as well informed as Faith implied, than they might have a way to help his brother out of his deal. He'd need some time to figure out if they can be trusted with the details of their life, and hopefully hunting with some of them will give him the time he needs.

"I don't know, dude. Working with others never seems to go well." Dean replied with a quick look at Sam before turning his eyes back to the road.

"When have we ever worked with others? We've got Bobby and we got Jo and Ellen, and let's be honest, we've never really hunted with any of them. Maybe it's time we try and branch out, because obviously working with just the two of us isn't making much of a difference in the big scheme of things."

Dean stayed quiet for a little while contemplating what Sam was saying. Working with people always sat wrong with Dean. One slip up and someone else's blood could be on his hands. It's hard enough hunting with Sammy, always having that kind of pressure not to mess things up, let alone with people that have their own family waiting at home. Working with the super squad would be different, obviously. Super powers and hunting experience would make them tougher, more resilient. Maybe it's not such a bad idea after all.

"Fine, Sammy. We'll do it your way. Just don't say I don't do anything for ya." Dean replied with a smirk"

"Yeah Dean, you're a real champ."

Dean laughed as Sam rolled his eyes.

"What kinda name is Buffy, anyway?" Dean asked with a snort.


	2. Chapter 2

The Winchesters pulled up to Slayer Central a little bit after lunch. As they sat in the Impala, they couldn't drag their eyes off the massive establishment that sat in the middle of a giant acreage.

The drive up to the school had been impressive. The long driveway was lined with large beech and oak trees. It gave the property a classic, olden feel. It eventually came to a fork which circled around an expansive garden, with the school's entry way directly across from them. The building itself looked like something out of a movie. It reminded the boys of Professor X's mansion from X-Men. It had a medieval look to it, elegant and charming. If the boys were being honest with themselves, they would of found it very intimidating.

Sam and Dean eventually got out of the car and were leaning against the passenger side door, staring at the stairs that lead up to the headquarters of the American branch of The Council.

"How could they afford something like this? I mean hunting isn't exactly a nine to five." Dean asked without taking his eyes off the building in front of him.

"Apparently, their leader Buffy led a raid on a Swiss bank a couple of years back. Figured saving the world a bunch made up for it. I think Bobby also mentioned them having some pretty wealthy investors too. They've taken the money and invested it in School's like this. That way the Slayers that are being recruited can still learn about the basics, you know, Maths, History and English and all that, as well as the fighting essentials. It's actually pretty genius. I mean, these girls still get a chance at a normal future, if they really want it, but they are still being trained to defend against what's out there."

"Jeez Sammy, did you pick up a brochure or something?"

Sam rolled as his eyes as he replied, "no, but I thought it might be a good idea for at least one of us to know what's going on before we meet them. And can you cut it with that Sammy crap while we're in there? We should at least try and act professional when meeting them"

"Professional? We're hunters for Pete's sake, how are we meant to act?" Dean snorted. "Whatever, look we may as well head in, Sam. They already know we're here." Dean said as he pointed to one of the cameras positioned around the school.

They walked up the stairs and went directly to the double doors underneath the sign stating "Athena School for Girls". Once they opened the doors, they walked into an expansive foyer that had been converted into a reception slash waiting room. A 20 something brunette woman waited behind the desk. She looked up from her computer and smiled, adjusting the glasses that had slightly fallen down her nose.

"Good afternoon gentlemen, how can I help you?

"Hi, I'm Sam Winchester, and this is my brother Dean. We're here to see Buffy Summers and Faith Lehane."

"Unfortunately Ms Summers is teaching a class at the moment, however Ms Lehane should be free. Take a seat and I'll call her extension."

"No need, Tiff, I saw 'em pull up" Faith said as she leant against the doorframe to the boy's left. "Hey there fellas, long time, no see. Heard you've been causing some trouble" Faith said with a wink. Her eyes started roaming over the large forms of both men. "I've always been good at handling trouble", eyes landing on the tallest of the Winchester brothers, making him blush.

"Ms Lehane, should I advise Ms Summers that the Winchester's have arrived?"

"Yeah, Tiff. Just let her know that I took the boys for a tour of the grounds. She'll be able to catch up. C'mon boys." Without another word, Faith walked toward the front door and held it open for them.

Once outside, Faith positioned herself between the two boys and showed them as much as she could without going back inside the building. She pointed out the Olympic sized pool, as well as the faculty parking, and various training grounds. The training grounds were by far the most impressive. It included a large running track, target range, for crossbows, as well as guns, and sports grounds for the girls looking for some recreational exercise.

"Not that this isn't great or anything, but I was under the impression we would just be coming here to talk business." Dean said, leaning against the concrete railing that overlooked the back of the expansive property. Sam looked horrified at his brother's rude comment.

"I figured we'd wait for El Capitan before we got down to the nitty gritty. B hates to feel like she's missin' out, ya know? She shouldn't be too long."

"She's right here" a voice came from behind them. Dean turned around to give the Slayer's fearless leader a look. He always pictured Buffy to be a harsh looking woman with the look of someone that has way too much on her shoulders. Instead he got a beautiful, blonde, 26 year old woman that looked like she just stepped off a fashion runway. Dean didn't know why he was so surprised, Faith was obviously a babe, so was it really such a surprise that Buffy was too? The shock must have been written all over his face, because Sam nudged Dean to pay attention.

"Buffy Summers" She reached out her hand to shake Dean's, and then Sam's.

"Dean Winchesters" "Sam Winchester, it's a pleasure to meet you"

"Oh please! The pleasure is all mine! Faith didn't shut up about you two for weeks when she finally came home"

"And what can I say, B? They are like wine, only got better with age" Faith replied with a roaming eye.

Buffy laughed and gave her attention back to Sam and Dean. "Sorry Faith gave you the roundabout tour, I asked her to wait for me before taking you inside."

"Why is that, if you don't mine me asking?" Sam asked with a shy smile.

"Well there are a few reasons, one being that I really love doing the tour myself," Buffy replied with a smile. "Also, we don't really get a lot of outsiders here. The school is pretty private and I didn't really want the girls to worry about two strangers wandering about. I am sure Faith could have handled any questions, but I wanted to be here myself."

Dean gave the original Slayer a long look. It seemed weird that someone as carefree and bubbly as she seemed to be could be the leader of such a large and professional organisation.

"So when we arrived, the receptionist mentioned that you were teaching. I figured the headmistress wouldn't have to do any of that kinda stuff?" Dean asked with a raised eyebrow

"Headmistress? I like that" Buffy laughed. "To be honest, I am more of a figure head. I mean, at the end of the day, we are very much a democracy. All decisions at this school are made by Faith, Andrew and I. We all have equal say. Plus, let's be honest, there aren't many people qualified to teach the kind of things our girls need to learn. Shall we head inside?"

"Lead the way," Dean replied.

Buffy lead them through a large door at the back of the school that emerged into a large circular room, with a set of stair cases on both sides of the room, and a long hallway on the ground floor in between the staircases.

"If you follow that hallway down to the very end, you would end up back at reception. Along the hallway, you will find the kitchen, dining hall, and laundries. The girls can't really find part time jobs with the amount of studying they do, so if the girls need money, we organise them to work on the grounds or around the school itself, working in the kitchens, doing laundry, stuff like that. We do employ other people but it's hard to find people that can be trusted, you know? Anyway, the staircase on the right leads to the girls living quarters, and the stair case on the left lead to the classrooms, as well as work out areas, and things like that. If you follow both to the end, you'll come to The Council room, as well as staff and guess accommodation. That's where you will be staying. I hope you don't mind sharing a room? No? Okay, follow me."

They ascended the left stair case so that Sam and Dean could have a good look at the training rooms. A lot of the rooms were currently filled with girls either training or learning. Some of the girls looked as young as 12, and as old as 25. It seemed like most of the teachers were female. Sam asked why that was, and Faith explained, "When the potentials were activated, lot of 'em were already pretty old for Slayer standards, early twenties. Once we got our shit together and started gatherin' 'em together, we trained a few of the older ones, the ones that came with us from Sunnyhell, to help train the younger ones. First it was a bit crazy but eventually it worked out."

"Some of the girls go to College, which is great, because most of the time they get degrees that can still help us out. They get degrees in teaching, law, and medicine. They might not want to fight, but they still want to lend a helping hand. Some of the Slayers also become Watchers. Now that was definitely new. Giles almost has a heart attack when Rachel asked to be trained." Buffy and Faith both laughed as Buffy finished up her story.

Dean and Sam cast a quick look at each other, extremely confused at the casual name dropping of people they didn't really know. If the girls noticed, they pretended like they didn't.

"Here we are. Our war room" Buffy pointed to large, double oak doors. As they stepped inside the room, both men stopped and stared at their surroundings. The room was large and square, with two separate landings. In front of them were three steps that lead down to a large rectangle table, surrounded by chairs. To their left and right were sets of stairs that lead to a platform that wrapped around the room. Both left and right sides of the rooms were lined with bookshelves, containing more supernatural books than the boys have ever seen, as well as glass cases filled with what they assumed were mystical objects, and elaborate weapons. It was hunter heaven. However, what really grabbed their eyes was the back wall. It was covered with televisions that were showing all the surveillance footage of the cameras that covered the school. All except for one television, bigger than the rest, right in the middle. That television had some sort of medieval computer game covering the screen. In front of the televisions, sitting in a swivel chair, with his back to the newly arrived group was a wiring blond man. He was so engrossed in his video game that he had not heard the big doors leading into the War Room open and close.

"Fus Ro Dah that, motherfu-"

"Andrew!" Buffy chastised.

The young man jumped up quickly, causing the controller he had been using to fall to the ground.

"Buffy! I, I didn't realise you would be in just yet" Andrew stuttered out as he switched off the game. He finally composed himself to notice the strangers staring at him with smirks on their faces. "Who are the newbies, my fearless leader?"

"Could you quit with that stuff, Andrew? It's cramping my style. This is Dean and Sam Winchester. Sam, Dean, this is Andrew Wells. He is part of the Holy Trinity here in Slayerville, Ohio. Andrew, the Winchesters are here because they have some business to discuss."

"Excellent! Well why don't we all take a seat? Would anyone like some refreshments? Drinks? Food? Anything?"

Everyone shook their heads and took their seats. Andrew, Faith and Buffy sat directly across from Sam and Dean, with Andrew taking out a small lap top to take notes of their discussion and Buffy sitting in the middle

Faith looked at the boys, and dropped her casual attitude. "Alrighty boys, why don't ya start from the top? B, Andy and I will need to know the dets before we go makin' any decisions."

Sam looked over at Dean and indicated for him to take up their story. "Okay, well it goes like this."

An hour later, Dean was wrapping up their story. He had started at the very beginning, with their mother's death and finished with the death of the Yellow Eyed Demon. He did leave out some particular details, such as their friend's names and Dean's deal. He didn't really think it was any of their business.

Buffy looked at Faith, who just raised a brow and shrugged, letting Buffy take the lead. Andrew was too busy finishing his notes to pay much attention to the girls.

Buffy looked back at the boys, weighing them with her eyes. They could feel themselves fidgeting under her gaze. She seemed to come to some sort of mental decision, and leaned back in her chair and folded her arms underneath her chest.

"We'll help you. Not really ready to commit to any course of action, at least not until we can talk to some of our colleges. But we will definitely help."

Dean and Sam let go of a breath, they hadn't even realised they were holding. Faith smiled and leaned forward in her chair, looking at the boys "told you we would lend a helping hand."

"Yes well, it is our sacred duty and all that. Andrew, could you show the Winchesters to their rooms? I'll set up a web conference with Xander, Willow and Giles for an hour from now." Buffy looked back at Sam and Dean, "Feel free to venture down to the dining hall. Dinner is usually served from 6 to 9. You are also more than welcome to use any of the training grounds. We should have an answer for you tomorrow morning. We'll meet back here at 9 to discuss."


	3. Chapter 3

"You gotta admit, Dean, this place is pretty impressive"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, you were right and I was wrong. It's definitely not that I was expecting, that for sure." Dean replied, as he swung open the door that lead to their room.

The room itself was huge, with two large queen beds and a large flat screen television mounted on the wall directly across from the beds. At the far side of the room, was a door that served as an entry into a large fully equipped bathroom. It was far better accommodations than the boys were used to.

"What do you think about Buffy?" Dean asked, trying to seem casual. "I wonder if she likes a bit of fun." Dean finished with an eyebrow wiggle at Sam.

"Dean. No. Please do not start this partnership with them thinking you're a creep. Just keep it in your pants for two seconds, okay?"

"Okay grandma! Jeez. But just this one time, in case you've forgotten, I don't have long on this Earth and I want to spend my last month's living it up as much as I possibly can, capish?"

Sam replied by rolling his eyes and lying on his bed, turning on the television. "We may as well chill out. Might be the last time we can relax for a while"

"Sounds like a plan, Sammy."

* * *

The group met back in the War Room by 9AM the next morning. As the boys walked in, they could see Buffy and Faith gossiping at the far end of the table, stopping every now and then to giggle at whatever was being said.

Dean barely noticed anything else in the room other than Buffy. He couldn't get over how truly gorgeous she really was, especially for someone who was meant to be a seasoned warrior. Even dressed simply in black slacks, and a purple satin shirt, she was breathtaking.

As if sensing someone watching her, Buffy turned to find Dean Winchester staring at her. Dean offered her a smile in greeting, which Buffy quickly returned, before going back to her conversation with Faith.

Sam and Dean took their seats at the conference table, and started talking about any maintenance the Impala might need before hitting the road. It soon become obvious to Sam that his brother would rather stare at a certain blonde Slayer than pay attention to whatever Sam was saying.

Sam cleared his throat to get Dean's attention, before elbowing him in the ribs.

"Ow!" Dean exclaimed with shock, finally taking his eyes off Buffy and scowling at Sam.

Sam nodded his head towards Buffy and gave Dean a pointed glare. Dean seemed to get Sam's meaning, and gave his brother an awkward shrug before staring down at his hands, which were resting in his lap.

Faith had also noticed where Dean's attention laid and couldn't help but think that her Sister Slayer could use a little bit of stress relief. Stress relief of the naughty kind, she thought with a chuckle.

Andrew, however, was so busy setting up breakfast that he was completely oblivious to the drama unfolding around him.

Once Andrew noticed the boy were finished their conversation, he offered them a huge smile and said, "I asked around and found out you hadn't eaten. I hope you're hungry!"

"Andrew likes to make sure everyone is fed and looked after", Buffy said quickly squeezing Andrews shoulder with a smile before taking her seat.

"It's a pleasure to make sure my girls are well looked after!" Andrew replied, while taking his own seat.

The Winchesters looked over the spread that Andrew had provided, and were amazed. It looked like Andrew had grabbed just about everything available from the kitchens including, eggs, bacon, fruit, French toast and several different beverages.

"Awesome!" Dean declared as he started heaping up his plate.

Andrew beamed at the compliment.

Once they had all eaten, Buffy cleared her throat and looked at the boys. "Okay, so here's the deal: we've got two other schools in America, one in New York and one in Washington. We have decided to send out ten of our most senior girls from each school. The girls will be sent out in groups of two, doing exactly what you do, driving cross county and hunting whatever they come across. A select group of five from each school will stay back and go out when called, kind of like emergency teams for big jobs. That should put a big dent in whatever was released from the Devil's Gate. Those black eyed demons you deal with aren't exactly normal for us so we will need you to provide some information about hunting them," With Sam's nod at the last comment, Buffy continued, "Good. Now, we were under the impression from Bobby that you would like Faith to travel with you, taking down the big guys. Is that right?"

"It would certainly help." Sam replied.

"Great! Faith has already signed on, but there is going to be a slight change of plans."

Sam and Dean looked at each other in confusion, before Dean asked suspiciously, "What kind of change?"

"I'll be coming too", Buffy replied with a smug smile.

For a second Dean and Sam sat in silence, staring at the blonde Slayer in shock. Eventually Sam decided to ask the more obvious question, "What about the school? Wouldn't two of the leaders leaving cause an issue?"

"Andy boy here handles most of the administration stuff anyway. Red and her little lover will be comin' to handle any of the slack" Faith replied with shrug. "What do you boys reckon? Think you could handle us?"

Sam and Dean looked at it each other for a moment, with Sam shrugging his shoulders as if finishing some unspoken conversation. Dean turned back to the Slayers with a smile and said "we are more than prepared for hunting with two beautiful woman," earning a wink from Faith and a snort of laughter from Buffy.

* * *

Buffy had been staring at her duffle bag for the past 5 minutes. How the heck was she meant to pack everything she needed in a _duffle bag_? It's usually not enough having a large suitcase, let alone this little scrap of material.

She had already started mentally packing her bags when Dean had announced that they would have to travel light if they wanted to travel comfortably, and in that 30 second sentence, all her clothing plans had crumbled.

Buffy sighed and started taking out any clothes that wouldn't be needed for hunting. She also packed her personal care products and any fake identification she might need. She didn't usually carry around fake ID, due to The Council's legal contacts, but Sam said that they would need to go undercover every now and then for their cases.

Her bag was just about packed when she heard a knock at her door.

"Come in" she yelled from her bedroom.

Faith sauntered into the bedroom, and flopped straight on Buffy's queen bed. "Gettin' excited?"

"More like, nervous. It's been a while since I've lived the normal Slayer life. It seems like forever since I've actually done any slaying. I spend most of my time behind a desk now."

"Normal Slayer life? Ain't no such thing," Faith replied with a laugh, "but I know what you mean. I am going to miss the school."

"It's not just that." Buffy sat on the bed facing Faith. "We hardly know these guys and now we're about to embark on a cross country adventure with them? Plus, I feel like they are keeping secrets from us. Makes my spidey senses go all tingly", Buffy finished with a shiver.

"And we ain't? C'mon, B, be real. We haven't told them about Red being Glenda the Good witch due to the usual Hunter hostility. They're bound to keep some tid bits to themselves as well." Buffy nodded but still seemed unconvinced.

"Look, I get where you're coming from, I do, but I've been around 'em and they're five by five. Trust me. Plus we really need to blow off some steam. Being cooped up at the school all the time? It can't be good for the skin."

Buffy smiled, "I _suppose_ you're right. It'll be good to get back to the down and dirty of being a Slayer. Worse comes to worse, they suck, we bail."

"That's the spirit! Plus, those two? Total babes. Did you see how Deano was looking at you today? He was basically burnin' a hole through your skull!" Faith stretched back on the bed with a throaty laugh.

"Oh no! No babes for Buffy. Babes always end up bad. Like skipping town or dying kind of bad. I'll stick to hunting, thank you very much!"

"Whatever, B. It's about time you got back on the horse. I know what happened to Spike sucks, but that was almost 4 years ago. The most dating you've done is with that boring vet from the next town over. He is _barely_ worth a mention. Dawnie keeps saying you'll be joining a convent any moment."

"Yeah, because shacking up with two vampires won't be reason enough for me to burn up as soon as I step into a convent", Buffy sarcastically replied while rolling her eyes. "C'mon, we said we'd meet them at their car in a couple of minutes." Buffy said while grabbing her bag and Scythe.

* * *

"I am starting to get uneasy about this, Sammy. Travelling with two chicks can't be good. This is not going to end well, I just know it", Dean rambled.

"Whatever happened to being prepared for hunting with two beautiful women?" Sam replied with a smirk.

"Do you really think they would have accepted a 'no'? It was either this or nothin'. Right about now nothin' is sounding pretty good."

"I don't see what your problem is. They can obviously handle themselves, and we could really use the help", Sam said while throwing his arms up in frustration.

Dean cut off his reply when he noticed the two Slayers coming down the stairs, followed closely by Andrew. He was a tad relieved by their arrival, because he really had _no_ _idea_ why he was so anxious about the Slayers travelling with them.

Andrews face was red and puffy, from what Dean could only assume was from crying. "I can't believe you are going to leave me like this! I hate Kennedy! She is mean and snarky. Please don't go. Please please please. I'll stop talking about Star Wars. I'll stop playing video games. I'll stop following you around with the camera. _Anything_."

"Andrew! Calm down! We will be back by Christmas, remember?" Buffy said as she turned around to hug Andrew goodbye.

"Yeah Andy, nothin' will keep us away. Chin up, champ. Don't let those little monsters in there give you any crap, okay?"

"Fine! Just don't forget to clear out that nest on your way out of town, okay?"

"Yeah yeah", Faith replied as she gave Andrew a hug big enough to lift him off the ground.

"Nest? What nest?" Dean asked as he watched Andrew walk back up the stairs, giving the blonde dork a little wave.

"There is a nest of Vampires on the other side of town. I figured we could dust on our way out." Buffy replied with a shrug. "That cool?"

"Whatever, you like, princess." Dean replied while putting the girl's bags in the trunk. As he turned back to Buffy, he got a good look at the shiny, red scythe that she was carrying, but didn't notice the death eyes she was giving him for calling her princess. "Pretty axe." He remarked with a smirk

"All the better to chop you with." Buffy said with a flip of her hair as she jumped into the back seat of the Impala.

Dean laughed as he closed the trunk of the car.

"Alright, let's hit the road. I wanna hit these vamps before sun down" Faith said as she took her seat in the back. "Sweet ride, by the way."

* * *

The four hunters had been scoping out the warehouse for the past ten minutes, getting a clear idea of the layout.

"Andy said there should be about ten of em'. Easy pickins if you ask me." Faith looked at Buffy as she shared her sentence and they shared a grin. She gave Sam and Dean a quick glance before continuing.

"Should probably give you two a heads up, these vamps aren't like the ones you're probably used to. Being so close to the Hellmouth makes 'em different. More ways to kill 'em but a lot stronger. They'll also look a bit different."

"I was thinking maybe Faith and I could take the lead on this one. It's been a while and we were looking for a bit of fun." Buffy said, without taking her eyes of the warehouse.

"Sure." Sam replied before Dean had time to butt in. He wanted to see what a Slayer could really do.

They made their way to the front of the building as a group and split up to look for any possible escape routes. Not seeing any, they made their way back to the front door.

Buffy and Faith looked at each, nodded and in unison kicked in the door. They charged into the warehouse, taking out a vampire each before regrouping and taking on the remaining adversaries.

Sam and Dean stayed by the front door, taking in the fight before them. Sam had to admit, they were impressive. More than impressive, they were brilliant. They fought with such grace and agility that is was almost frightening.

Their moves were in sync as they took down vampire after vampire. At one point, Sam thought he would have to step in to help Faith finish off a particularly vicious vampire, but before he had a chance, Faith called out Buffy's name and Buffy threw the Scythe in Faith's direction. Faith caught the Scythe without taking her eyes off her opponent and beheaded him in one graceful movement.

Sam turned to Dean to voice his thoughts, but was stopped by the look on Dean's face. Dean's face was filled with unabashed admiration.

He followed his brother's line of sight to see Buffy finishing off a vampire with a flick of her wrist and a stake into the vampire's heart. Sam turned his head back to his brother to see that Dean's expression hadn't changed in the minute or two Sam had spent watching Buffy fight.

"Dean?"

"Sammy, she's amazing."

"Yeah Dean, they both are." Sam replied, as if he was talking to a child.

As if a bucket of water had been dropped on his head, Dean snapped out of his reverenced stare, to look at a smirking Sam.

"Cram it, bitch." Dean said, making Sam laugh.

Eventually, the leader of the vampires came forward to engage Buffy, as Faith took out the last two vampire cronies.

"I'm going to kill you for this, Slayer", the leader snarled out

"Yeah, I'm shaking in my stylish, yet affordable, boots." Buffy quipped before landing a round house kick to the vamps face. While he was down, she grabbed a stake out of her back pocket and plunged the stake into his heart. "Laters, wrinkly."

"Jeez, B. You think after all these years you'd quit with the wise cracks."

"Not likely. Who would I be without my quips?" Buffy turned to face the boys. "Are you guy's hungry? I could definitely eat."

Faith and Buffy walked out the door, leaving Dean and Sam staring after them in shock. Usually after a fight like that, Sam and Dean would be floored with exhaustion, but the Slayers walked away as if it was nothing more than a light jog.

"I don't know about you, B, but I could go a burger."

"Perfection. Are you boys coming or not?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four

The seven hour journey to Albany, New York had gone quickly. A majority of the time had been spent swapping monster stories, trying their hardest to top each other. Eventually they stopped talking and just lapsed into a comfortable silence, watching the scenery as they drove.

Even without knowing each other, they seemed to have an instant connection, the kind of connection that could only come from having shared the same life experiences.

The Impala pulled into a seedy looking motel around seven that evening, just before Buffy and Faith had a chance to complain about their hunger.

"Faith and I will check in, while you two scout for some grub, sound good?" Buffy asked while climbing out of the car.

"Whatever makes you happy, Princess." Dean replied, oblivious to another set of death eyes received from Buffy.

Faith linked her arm with Buffy's as they walked into the motel's office.

"I told you this was a good idea, B. Open road, just you, me, and a couple of hotties. Ain't nothing wrong with that."

"Yeah yeah, you are so very wise. Let's just get some rooms, yeah?"

As they walked towards the counter, a balding, aged man appeared from the back room and gave the girls a lecherous grin as he eyed them up and down. Faith smiled back and gave Buffy the signal to let her handle it. Buffy nodded and walked over to the brochure board.

"Heya stud, need a couple of rooms, think you could help a girl out?"

* * *

The Winchesters met the girls back at the car after getting dinner at a fast food restaurant from across the street.

"We got rooms 9 and 10. They have an adjoining door, just in case we need to talk or something." Buffy said as she let herself into the room she would be sharing with Faith. "So what's the deal with this case?"

"We've received reports of what seems to be vampire attacks at the local clubs. We figured it would be a good place for us to start", Sam replied as he followed the girls into their rooms.

"Sounds like our kinda job." Faith agreed as she sat on the small dining table near the door.

"Yeah well we figured we'd eat, catch a little bit of shut eye, and head out in about three hours. Sound good?" Dean asked as he got his food out of the paper bag.

"Sounds peachy with a side of keen." Buffy replied, with a mouth full of burger.

* * *

The group arrived at the club around 11PM, and started scouting the surrounding alleys, in two groups, Buffy with Dean, and Sam with Faith.

Faith had spent most of the search in silence, but after a while the boredom was killing her. If she had to be without her sister slayer, she wasn't going to do it silence.

"So Sammy, what was it like livin the normal life? Ya know, Standford and all that, " Faith asked suddenly, startling Sam.

"Uh, it was normal, I guess. I don't know," Sam awkwardly replied, with a shrug of his shoulders.

"C'mon Stretch, you gotta give me more than that."

"Honestly? It was great. I never chose to be a hunter. I got to choose to go to Stanford and for the first time in my life, I had something that was my own. It was the best thing that ever happened to me." Sam said with a smile at Faith.

"But here you are, hunting with big bro?"

"Yeah well, after Jess, I guess I understood what Dad hunted for."

"Still eats you up, doesn't it? Thinkin there was something you could have done? Well I don't know if anyone ever told ya this, but it ain't your fault she's gone. It's his. The bastard who did it. No need to carry that on yourself. This life is hard enough without keepin' a tally."

Sam looked down at Faith and was surprised to see her looking at him with eyes full of understanding and strength. Usually after talking about Jess, all anyone ever offered him was pity. It was a refreshing change.

"What about you? You ever dream of greener pastures?"

"Being a Slayer is a greener pasture for me. Life wasn't the brightest before I was called. Wasn't the brightest for the first couple of years after being Called either. Not until we blew up SunnyD anyway. I kinda got my groove after that. Found my place in the world, ya know?"

"Never heard someone be so optimistic about being a hunter. Most hunters are grouchy old men." Sam said with a laugh.

"Yeah, well, having B and the Scoobs around helps a bunch. Support is the key, and all that. Stick with us kid, and you'll go far," Faith finished with a wink and a smile, making Sam laugh even harder.

"Look, we're obviously not having much luck here. Why don't we head back to the hotel room and see if Big Brother and B did any better?"

* * *

In another alley three blocks away, an entirely different conversation was taking place.

"Look sweetheart, I didn't mean to ruffle any feathers." Dean said coming to a halt in front of Buffy, making her scowl and put her hands on her hips.

"Well look here, _sweetheart_ , you may be top dog with your little hunter buddies, but you're playing in the big leagues now, so when I say, 'I'll talk lead", I am gunna take lead, mmkay?"

"Big leagues? Honey, you haven't shown me anything I haven't already seen."

From that point, the argument quickly deteriorated into yelling and name calling, and ended with Buffy calling Dean a 'James Dean wannabe, knuckle dragger' before stomping away.

Buffy was so angry she almost didn't notice the barely conscious man slumped against the brick wall of the alley. Leaning down, Buffy tilted his head to find a large bite mark on the side of his neck

"We ain't finished here, Buf-. What happened? Vamp attack?"

"Looks like it. Sir, can you hear me? Who did this to you? Where did they go?"

The man gestured vaguely down a nearby alleyway before slipping into unconsciousness.

Before Buffy had the chance the react, Dean had whipped his machete from his behind his back and started sprinting down the alleyway, looking for the creature responsible.

Slowing down, Dean rolled up the sleave of his jacket, and made a large cut across his forearm.

Raising his arm in the air, Dean yelled out into the night, "Smell that?! Come and get it!"

Slowly, a young blonde woman emerged from behind a large dumpster and looked at Dean sceptically, blood dripping down her face.

"Smell good, don't I? I taste even better." The vampire approached Dean cautiously, obviously hesitant to attack an armed man.

"Come on! Free lunch!" Dean yelled, dropping his machete, causing the vampire to charge him, and sink her teeth into his neck. Quick as lightening, Dean stabbed a syringe filled with dead man's blood into the vampire's neck, rendering her unconscious.

"Cutting it a bit close, don't you think?" Buffy asks behind Dean, making him jump in surprise.

"Worked, didn't it?" he replied, causing Buffy to lift her eyebrow at his blasé attitude.

"Whatever, let's just get her back to the room before the cops arrive."

* * *

The next morning found the foursome gathered around a dining room chair that was occupied by a very scared vampire.

"Please! I don't know what you're talking about! I don't know anything about a nest!"

"So you're workin solo?" Faith asked arms crossed against her chest.

"What? No! Please let me go, I don't feel good."

"That's what dead's man blood will do to ya, sister." Dean replied, leaning down menacingly.

"Just let me go. I'm telling you the truth! I took something and I can't come down!"

"Took something?" Buffy asked as gently as she could, getting an impatient look from Dean.

"Yes! I took something! I just want to come down! I can't come down." The last part of her sentence came out as a sob

"All right, look, if you tell us what happened, we'll let you go, okay?" Sam asked, bending his knees to get down to the vampire's height.

The vampire glanced at Buffy, and after receiving a nod of encouragement, started her story.

"I was at this club, Spider, on Jefferson. There was this guy, about 30 with brown hair and leather jacket. I think his name was Daryl or Dixon or something. He said he's a dealer. Anyway, he kept buying me drinks and he said he had something for me. Something new, something I've never had before. He put a few drops into my drink and that's the last thing I can really remember."

"Was the liquid red and thick?" Dean asked gruffly.

"Yeah."

"Well genius move there. That was vampire blood he dosed you with."

"What? You're crazy! He must of roofied me or something."

"Hate to tell you, girlfriend, but you just got dosed with nastiest virus out there." Faith commented nonchalantly from her corner of the room. "Look guys, I don't think she knows much more, so how about we quit dragging this out and get to business."

"Yes! Please! Let me go!"

"Sorry, sweetheart, but we can't do that. You've already killed two people, woulda killed a third tonight if we didn't stop you." Dean replied.

"No! That was just a hallucination! I didn't do it!"

"Dean, this isn't getting us anywhere. Either dust her, or I will." Buffy said, reaching for her scythe.

"Don't worry goldilocks, I got this." Dean swung his machete in a wide arc, taking the vampires head off with one fast movement, making Sam flinch as her head hit the ground.

"Aw man, no dust?" Buffy whined as she wiped blood off her leather jacket.

* * *

The next night, Buffy and Sam walked out of Spider in frustration, finding Dean and Faith waiting for them outside.

"Three girls have gone missing, all last seen here. This must be the place." Sam remarked as he walked over to Faith and Dean

"Yeah, you're not wrong." Faith replied, pointing to a 30-something man ducking up the alley with a young blonde.

* * *

Buffy and Dean caught up to the couple first, arriving just in time to stop the vampire from infecting the girl.

"Get out of here!" Buffy yelled at the young woman, as Dean punched the vampire, shocking him into dropping the blood he held in his hand. Before Dean could react, the vampire had recovered and sent him flying into a nearby brick wall, before taking off at a dead run.

"Crap! Dean! Are you okay?" Buffy asks as she helps Dean back to his feet.

"Yeah, Princess, I'm fine. C'mon!"

By the time Dean got back on his feet, Faith and Sam had caught up. Together they gave chase to the vampire, leading around an alley corner, but instead of the vampire, they found Gordon Walker and Kubrick waiting for them, guns at their side.

Without a second of hesitation, Gordon and Kubrick raised their guns and opened fire, aiming for the Winchesters.

The group dived behind a set of cars to avoid the gun fire.

"Who the heck are these guys?" Buffy asked, trying to get a glimpse of their attackers.

"Hunters. And not the friendly kind." Dean replied, "Look, I'll draw them off. You guys go and meet me back at the room."

"What?! You're crazy!" Sam yelled back.

Ignoring Sam, Dean leaped out of his hiding sport, and ran into the line of fire. Leaping onto a nearby car, Dean launched himself over a nearby fence, leading into a nearby parking lot. Kubrick quickly gave chase, leaving Gordon to finish off Sam.

Before he had a chance to corner his prey, a figure leaped down and knocked Gordon to the ground, rendering him unconscious.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking!?" Buffy yelled as Dean came into the motel room.

"Yeah. Sorry, I stopped for a slice." Dean replied as he shrugged off his jacket.

Dean could sense how tense Buffy and Sam were. Sam's reaction, he could understand, but Buffy barely knew him. Why would she care what happened to him?

"Nice move you pulled back there, Dean, running right at the weapons."

"What can I say, Sammy, I am a bad ass." Dean replied, ignoring Sam's bitch face. "So, I guess Gordon's out of jail."

"Guess so. How the hell did he find us?"

As if a light bulb had gone off in his head, Dean sprung his head up to look at Sam in realisation.

"That bitch." Before anyone could ask who he was talking about, Dean had his phone out of his pocket and to his ear.

As Dean took his conversation into another room, Buffy took the time to question Sam.

"Who the heck are these guys and why do they want your head on a patter?"

"Well you know how we told you about the Yellow-Eyed demons plan about me?" Buffy nodded her head. "When Gordon found out, he went nuts. He decided that I had to die. For the greater good, I guess."

"That's ridiculous!"

"Yeah well I guess it didn't help that we got him locked up." Sam replied with a smirk, making Buffy laugh.

Dean came stomping back into the room. "Well it seems that Gordon got a hold of Bella. Got her to tell him where we are," he growled.

"Who's Bella?" Faith asked, letting herself into the room, arms filled with fast food containers.

* * *

"Okay, here's the deal. Buffy and Faith go and track the Vampire, Sam and I will handle Gordon." Dean remarked, hiding a gun in the back of his pants.

"Hold up. Who put you in charge, Fabio?" Buffy replied, hands on her hips.

"Look sweetheart, for once could you not argue? Gordon is our problem. Not yours."

"He's right, B. Besides, vampires are kinda our specialty."

Instead of replying, Buffy huffed and stormed into the bedroom that she and Faith shared. After slamming the door that was in between the two rooms, she laid on her bed, eyes boring into the ceiling.

After being a founder member of the revised Watcher's Council, Buffy found it hard taking orders. Especially when the orders came from Dean 'I-Think-I-Know-Everything' Winchester.

_Who did he think he is?_

She's been making life changing decisions since she was 16 years old and he comes in and thinks he can overrule her? Completely ridiculous.

Buffy furrowed her brow in frustration.

Okay so maybe his plan made sense, but that's not really the point. He shouldn't be bossing her around! Even if he looked totally cute when he took charge.

_Oh I did not just think that. Get a hold of yourself, Buffy!_

What was she doing? She was acting like a teenage girl! First yelling at Dean in a random alley and now slamming doors like she was in some kind of soap opera.

She was so busy concentrating on her own melodrama she barely heard the door open. She only noticed once the door had closed behind who ever had entered the room. Without looking, Buffy assumed Faith had come to talk some sense into her.

"Faith, don't start, okay? I'll go along with Wonder boy's plan and I'll even apologize."

"Wonder boy?" Dean laughed, "I kinda like it."

Buffy shot up from her spot in the bed quicker than lightening. "What are you doing?" She asked, glaring at Dean.

Dean sighed and made his way to the bed, sitting next to Buffy.

"I wanted to talk to you. Say sorry. I'm not really used to huntin' with anyone but Sammy. I didn't mean to boss you around like I did."

"Okay." Buffy took a moment to look at Dean, and finding no sarcasm, nodded her head and said, "Good."

"Good?" Dean choked out. "You aren't gunna apologize for your little temper tantrum?"

Buffy sighed, "I guess I was overreacting a little. Maybe." Buffy stood and walked to the door. "C'mon we got some baddies to deal with."

Dean watched Buffy walk out the room and shook his head in disbelief. Hottie or not, Buffy Summer's was serious trouble. They had barely known each other a week and they couldn't keep from each other's throats.

_This was definitely a bad idea._ Dean thought as he followed Buffy out of the room.

* * *

"Sammy, I just got a call from Bela. She got us an address."

"Could be a trap?" Sam asked looking up from the gun he was cleaning on his bed.

"I don't think so. She actually warned us away from him."

Sam stood up, "Well okay let's go."

"About that. When we find him, or if he finds us... I'm just saying he's not leaving us a whole lot of options."

"Yeah I know. We've got to kill him," Sam calmly replied.

"Really? Just like that? I thought you would of been like, 'No, we can't, he's human, it's wrong.'"

Sam ignored the whiney voice Dean had used to mock him and replied, "No, I'm done. Gordon's not gonna stop until we're dead. Or till he is."

"Oh. Okay than. Well let's get this show on the road."

* * *

Sam and Dean arrived at the abandoned riverside warehouse around midnight and scoped out the dark building.

They quietly entered and made their way into the main room, finding two girls chained to the ceiling. The vampire from the club was kneeling in front of them, his head bowed. The girls were missing both of their heads.

Dean approached the vampire, knife in hand, trying to catch him by surprise. The vampires heard him approach but didn't make an attempt to move.

"Do it. Kill me."

"What happened here?" Sam asked, surveying the room.

"Gordon Walker. I never should have brought a hunter here. Never. I just, I just wanted some kind of revenge. Stupid. Exposing him to my family."

"Yeah, you're a real family man," Dean remarked with a sneer.

"You don't understand. I was desperate. I was facing eternity alone. Could you imagine a worse hell?"

"Well, there's Hell."

"I wasn't thinking. I just, I didn't care anymore. It was like I was dead already. So just go ahead. Do it."

During the conversation, Sam had been inspecting the bodies, and noticed something peculiar.

"Dean, these heads weren't cut off. They were ripped off." Sam turned to the vampire, "what did you do to Gordon?"

* * *

Faith and Buffy had gone back to the same club as the other night and had spent two hours patrolling the surrounding streets.

"Getting any tummy tingles, B?"

"I got zilch." Buffy mentally thanked the Powers That Be for that particular gift.

"Yeah I don't think he'll be showin' up any time soon. Musta scared him off the other night."

"Okay, well I hate to be that person, but maybe we should split up? Cover more ground and meet back at the hotel in two hours?"

"Five by five, B."

Buffy turned and made her way to the warehouse district. She had been walking for a little bit over an hour when she felt her stomach tighten, giving away the presence of a vampire.

_Looks like this nights perking up._

"Come out, come out wherever you are. I would like to get some sleep sometime tonight."

Buffy heard steps behind her and turned, expecting to find the vampire from the club. Instead she found herself face to face with Gordon Walker.

Using her surprise to his advantage, Gordon swung a block of wood and caught Buffy in the side of her head, knocking her unconscious.

* * *

Faith arrived back at the motel 10 minutes later than planned.

_B is going to kill me!_

Buffy was actually younger than Faith by a year, but that didn't stop her from mothering Faith whenever Buffy thought Faith needed it. She could already hear her nagging away in Faith's ear for not arriving back in time.

_A girl goes for one week long bender without calling and all of a sudden she's 16 again._

Faith sighed as she turned the handle into the hotel room and walked in. She was surprised to find two anxious Winchesters and no Buffy.

Sam turned when he heard the door open and signed in relief. "There you guys are. We were starting to freak out."

It took a second for Faith to realise that they thought Buffy was with her. Buffy hadn't made it back.

Faith could feel the colour draining from her face, as she reached into her jean's pocket to grab her phone.

Sam looked at Dean, to see horror written all over his older brother's face. "Sammy, it's gotta be Gordon. He saw her with us." In a fit of anger, Dean swung his arm out, sending his bedside lamp crashing into a nearby wall. "He's got her and it's our fault."

Any reply Sam was going to give was interrupted by Faith's voice yelling into the phone.

"Where is she, you son of a bitch?!"

Faith took a moment to listen to the reply and shoved the phone towards Sam.

"He wants you."

Sam put the phone to his ear with trepidation.

"Gordon?"

"Factory on riverside off the turnpike. Be here in 20 minutes or the girl dies."

* * *

Buffy woke to a blinding headache.

_Ack. This is worse than a hangover. How did Giles not die after so many knocks to the head?_

As Buffy slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings.

She was tied to a chair in a disgusting factory. That's about it. She inspected the constraints on her hands and noticed they were tied together with rope.

_Amateur. Obviously never messed with a Slayer before._

As if on cue, Gordon Walker appeared in front of her.

"Don't panic. I'm not going to hurt you. As soon as the Winchesters get here, I'll let you go."

Buffy just glared at him and manoeuvred her hands into a better position.

Gordon noticed her movement and shook his head. "I don't know if they told you, but I am a hunter. I took your weapons off you when I tied you up. Couldn't have you escaping before Sam got here."

"Look pal, I don't know what your problem is but Sam isn't a bad guy. He's on the side of good, I can promise you that."

"I think you underestimate the Winchesters."

"Yeah, well I think you underestimate me." Without waiting for a reply, Buffy broke free of her bindings and head butted Gordon, causing him to stumble back.

Gordon recovered quickly, wiping away the blood dripping from his nose.

"You shouldn't have been able to do that. You're not human."

"Sure I am. Just made sure to eat my spinach as a kid."

Gordon growled and charged Buffy, causing her to come crashing to the ground. Before he had a chance to gain the advantage, Buffy leaped up and threw him into a nearby work bench, sending the work bench into a nearby wall and Gordon the ground.

The crash had caused random items to fly across the room. Looking for a weapon, Buffy spotted a piece of razor wire and some cloth. Quickly picking it up, she pinned Gordon to the ground. Kneeling on his back, Buffy used her own leverage to decapitate Gordon in one violent movement.

Buffy slowly got off the ground and wiped her bloody hands on the cloth she used to kill Gordon.

_Why couldn't he dust?_ She asked herself, looking down at Gordon's corpse.

"Holy crap! That was fricken awesome!"

Buffy jumped at the sound of Dean's voice. She turned to find both Winchesters and Faith staring at her from the doorway. Faith and Sam looked amused at Dean's outburst, while Dean himself was giving Buffy a huge grin.

"Looks like you won't be needing a rescue, B."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi All!**

**This is a total fluff chapter. Wanted something a little sweet before we got into the heavier stuff. Hope you enjoy!**

**As usual, reviews are always appreciated.**

**G.**

* * *

Chapter 5

They foursome had spent a month hunting together before heading back to Cleveland for Christmas. Most of the month had been spent working small cases. That was until Ypsilanti, Michigan.

In Ypsilanti they had killed two Demigod's posing as a middle-aged, married couple. They had been spending their Holiday Season performing ritual sacrifices.

Unfortunately, for Buffy, this brought up a lot of memories. Memories that she didn't really want to relive, especially not in front of the Winchesters.

Logically, she understood that Demigod's from her dimension would be much weaker than a Hell God from a demon dimension, but that didn't diminish her panic.

Luckily for her, the Winchester's seemed too involved in their own drama to pay her much attention.

Dean had supposedly come to terms with the fact that he was going to die. He wanted to spend his last year on Earth doing the things that mattered most. That included drinking, women and hanging with his baby brother. He wanted to have one last Christmas with Sammy before shuffling off this mortal coil.

Unfortunately for Dean, Sam was having none of it. He hadn't given up on his brother, and he didn't seem to have the same great Christmas memories that Dean did.

The struggle between the two brothers didn't end in Michigan and had continued on into Ohio.

"Dean, we don't have time to waste away spending Christmas at Slayer Central. We should be finding a way out of your deal." Sam whined as he stood beside Dean, who was putting gas in his Baby. Sam had originally planned to ask the Slayer's about Dean's deal but he still wasn't sure if they could be trusted. He still needed time.

"We said we'd take em, didn't we? Besides, we kinda owe them. If it wasn't for Faith, I'd be missing a tooth right about now." Dean turned towards the store to look at the girls. They were engrossed in the cheap novelty Christmas merchandise that the station was selling. "Besides, it would be good to have a real Christmas. All of their buds will be there. Could be a good thing, having those kind of contacts."

"Yeah, I suppose," Sam murmured.

"Lookie what we got!" Buffy announced, as she bounced over to the Impala, hands behind her back.

"What?" Dean asked with a smile.

As a response, Buffy planted a Santa hat on Dean's head. Dean looked over to Sam and saw that Faith had done the same to him.

Dean looked back down at Buffy and was met with a stunning smile. The little blonde Slayer looked so vibrant and full of life that Dean couldn't help but smile back. He found it amazing that Buffy could shine so bright, considering the darkness that came with their lives.

"Thanks, Princess."

"Ya know, one day we're gunna have a talk about this whole 'princess' thing," Buffy replied, scowling up at him.

"Whatever you like, sweetheart."

"Not getting any warmer, Deano."

Dean laughed in response and got into the Impala, followed quickly by Sam in the passenger seat, and the two girls in the back. Sam and Dean had kept their Santa hats on.

"Let's get this show on the road," Faith remarked, slapping Dean on the shoulder.

* * *

They arrived at the school around 4PM that evening. As they drove up to the faculty parking, the boys noticed a young brunette waiting for them. She barely seemed to contain herself, as she danced on the spot.

"Dawnie!" Buffy squealed from the back seat. As soon as the car came to a stop, Buffy rushed out to hug the young woman.

"Who's the kid?" Dean asked Faith, still sitting in the driver's side.

"B's kid sister."

"Didn't know she had one." Sam remarked, watching the two Summers' girls embrace

"Lot of things you two don't know." Faith replied, climbing out of the car to greet Dawn.

Sam and Dean looked at each other before heading over to introduce themselves to the youngest Summers girl.

"Dawnie, this is Sam and Dean Winchester. Sam, Dean, this is my little sister Dawn."

"Little? C'mon Buf, I may be younger, but I tower over you."

"Looks like we got that in common," Sam remarked, offering Dawn his hand to shake.

"Whatever, Sammy, you may be taller, but I'm still better looking," Dean replied, offering Dawn his hand after Sam, giving her a wink.

"Not too sure about that," Dawn murmured, giving Sam the once over. Dean's smirk quickly dropped from his face, causing Faith and Buffy to giggle.

"Look like the girl's still got it, B."

"Yeah, I just wish she lost it. Let's get our stuff and head on in. Boys, your rooms will still be the same. Meet in the war room, in about 15?"

* * *

Buffy met Dean and Sam outside the war room in exactly 15 minutes.

"Wow. Talk about punctual."

"Yeah, Dad was a bit of a drill sergeant. Became habit, I suppose," Sam replied with a shrug, tucking his hands into his jean's pockets.

"Hey, where are all the kiddies? Place seems a little quiet," Dean asked as Buffy reached for the door to the War Room.

"Most go home for the holidays. Some stay but not many. Ready to meet the rest of the gang?"

"Sure, why not?" Dean replied, with a smile.

Buffy opened the door to someone calling her name, making her grin from ear to ear.

The Winchester's stalled at the door frame, looking over the large room in shock. The War Room was covered in Christmas and Hanukkah decorations.

"We like Christmas," Buffy explained with a smile. "C'mon, you have to meet everyone."

Dean and Sam were introduced to a dark haired Slayer named Kennedy, and the bubbly, red headed Willow.

"Hi, I'm Willow! We have heard so much about you! Please have a seat! Xander will be here any moment. Giles won't be here until tomorrow, but that's okay. You'll love Giles. He's a mountain of information. Like a walking library, I guess. Which would make sense, ya know, coz he used to be a librarian."

Willow barely took a breath during her introduction, ending her speech with a large intake of breath, as she took her seat.

"Chill, Will. You'll scare em off." A cheery voice commented from the hallway.

"Xander!" Buffy exclaimed, running to the one eyed man, standing at the War Rooms door. Buffy quickly enveloped him in a hug.

"Buff. Can't breath."

"Whoops! Sorry! I got excited."

Xander untangled himself from the petite blonde Slayer and made his way to the table to introduce himself to the Winchesters.

"Xander Harris, nice to meet you," Xander said, shaking first Sam's then Dean's hand.

"Looks like the party has started without us," Faith commented, walking into the room, with Dawn and Andrew not far behind.

Soon everyone had separated into different groups, catching up or getting to know each other.

Buffy, Willow and Xander had taken over a corner of the room, catching up after months of not seeing each other. After Sunnydale, it had been hard for the three of them to stay close. Their friendship had taken a lot of damage during their last couple of years in Sunnydale, but they were slowly getting their groove back.

Kennedy and Faith were over at the main weapons case, regaling each other with their most recent battles.

Over at the war table, Dawn and Andrew were enchanted with a story that both Sam and Dean were telling. Even on the other side of the room, Buffy could tell that Dawn was already absolutely infatuated with Sam. She was hanging on to his every word as if it would be the last she would ever hear.

Buffy grinned to herself, _Poor Sammy, he won't know what hit him._

Her eyes wandered over to Dean to find him already looking at her. As if caught with his hands in the cookie jar, Dean gave Buffy a small, embarrassed smile. She smiled in return, before quickly looking to the ground with a blush.

Willow and Xander noticed the exchange and smiled at each other knowingly. Buffy blushed even harder when she noticed their look.

"So you said Giles will be flying in tomorrow?"

"Yup! I'll be picking him up from the airport in the morning so he won't be missing out on tomorrows Christmas Eve festivities," Willow replied, choosing to ignore Buffy's lame attempt at a distraction.

"Great! It's been forever since all the Scooby's have been under one roof. Plus, I've really missed him."

"Missed who?" a gruff voice asked, coming from behind Buffy, startling her.

She turned to find Dean behind her. He stepped forward to join the trio in their conversation.

"Giles." Buffy replied bluntly, shocked that Dean managed to sneak up on her.

Xander laughed at Buffy's awkward response and filled in the gaps himself.

"Giles was pretty much our mentor. All of us," Xander explained, sweeping out his arm to indicate everyone in the room. "He's now the Head Watcher. He looks after the English Branch of The Council."

Dean just nodded his head.

"So Dean, excited for tomorrow night?" Willow asked, with a large smile.

"Tomorrow night?" Dean asked, looking confused.

"Jeez, Buff, you didn't tell him? Holidays are a big deal around here. With all the death and destruction that comes with our job, we like to party down as much as possible. Christmas Eve we usually have a huge dinner and get Buffy incredibly drunk on eggnog. It's pretty much tradition," Willow explained with a huge smile.

"Oh no! No drunk Buffy this year! After last year I couldn't look any of the girls in the eye for about a month." Buffy exclaimed with a grimace.

"Woah there, what happened last year?" Dean asked very quickly.

"Buffy decided to do her very own rendition of 'Girl's Just Want to Have Fun' before passing out underneath the Christmas tree," Xander replied, barely containing his laughter. Willow didn't bother trying to hide her amusement, openly giggling at the memory.

"Jeez, Princess, how much did you drink?" Dean asked, with a twinkle in his eye.

"Alcohol and Buffy are very unmixy things. I know this, and yet I keep going back." Buffy replied with a roll of her eyes.

Dean laughed, and continued his conversation with the trio well into the night, sharing a couple of beers with Xander. Eventually everyone left the war room, in search of their own beds. Dean offered to walk Buffy to her room, knowing how ridiculous it sounded but not wanting to end their time together.

"I gotta say, Princess, you've made yourself quite the life here," Dean remarked, slowing down outside Buffy's room.

"It works," Buffy agreed with a nod. She leant against her door frame, looking up at him. He was looking down at his shoes, deep in thought.

"I never thought hunting could have a stable life, you know? Most hunters don't have homes. They just stay on the road, picking up jobs as they come along." Dean looked to Buffy with a deep sadness in his eyes. "When I accepted this life, I accepted a certain fate, but it's good to know that Sammy has other options."

"You say it like you don't have the same options. If Sam can have a stable life, than you can too." Buffy replied, with a confused crinkle in her brow. _Why does he look so lost?_

Realizing he had said too much, Dean straightened himself and silently cursed the beers he had consumed earlier that night.

"Sleep tight, Princess," Dean said, brushing a loose hair out of Buffy's face, shocking them both with such an affectionate gesture.

_Why now? Why did I have to meet her now?_

Dean turned and made his way to his room. As he walked around the corridor, he stopped for a moment to look back. His eyes met Buffy's before he disappeared around the corner.

* * *

Giles arrived just before lunch the next morning, to everyone's delight. He warmed to Dean and Sam instantly, and spent a lot of the day quizzing them on their hunts.

Eventually the time came for the Christmas Eve dinner. The celebration took place in the large dining hall, which had been decked out accordingly. There was a giant, heavy decorated Christmas tree, as well as additional decoration around the rest of the room.

The party consisted of about 50 guests, including the Scooby's, staff and the girl's who didn't go home for the holidays.

Christmas music played in the background, and a huge feast had been prepared. At the end of the meal, everyone had branched off to do their own things, whether it be socialising or dancing.

"So you got your Christmas after all," Sam remarked happily, sitting next to Dean. The drinks served with dinner had been surprisingly affective on both Sam and Dean. They were starting to loosen up and really enjoy themselves. For the first time, for as long as they could remember, they were actually having fun.

Dean laughed and looked around the room. _Not too bad for my last Christmas._

"Yeah no thanks to you, Grinch," Dean replied, with a smile.

"Whatever," Sam managed to reply before getting dragged off to dance with Dawn.

"Looks like those two are getting along," Buffy said brighty, taking Sam's seat.

Dean turned to face her. She was wearing tight black jeans, and a dark green sweater, which complimented her eyes perfectly.

"Sam and Dawn? I'm sure it's purely platonic."

"I wouldn't be too sure," Buffy said, nodding her head towards the dance floor.

Dean turned to see Sam looking adoringly at Dawn, as they danced. _Well that's unexpected_

"Enjoying yourself?" Buffy asked, bringing Dean's attention back to her.

Dean looked back at Buffy and noticed her unfocused eyes for the first time. _So much for not drinking._

"Yeah I am. It's nice to have a Christmas off the road. Thanks for putting us up."

"Anytime! Having you and Sam around is nice."

"I find that hard to believe, with all the trouble we've caused. I'm sure you'll be happy to see the back of us," Dean replied, half seriously, and half joking.

"No, I don't think I would be. I think I would actually be very upset to see you go."

_'See_ _you_ _go'. Not see you and Sam go._ Dean didn't reply, he just stared into Buffy's eyes, speechless at such an innocent but heartfelt comment.

"Really, Dean. Hunting with you, it's dangerous, and sometimes I want to kill you but there is no where I'd rather be."

Dean continued to stare at Buffy in amazement, unable to believe what she could be implying.

_Snap out of it, Dean! She's only saying this because she's drunk. She doesn't really mean it. How could she? She's amazing, and you're just a high school drop out with nothin' to his name._

"Thanks, Princess." Dean muttered, looking at his hands, which were resting in his lap.

His nonchalant reply confused Buffy, but before she could ask what was wrong, Willow appeared to drag her off to the dance floor with Xander. Before leaving, Buffy leant down and squeezed Dean's hand, giving him a small smile while doing so.

* * *

For the adults, the party continued on until 2:30 the next morning, leaving plenty of time for Sam and Dean to get properly drunk. Sam had passed out about half an hour ago, giving Faith the chance to draw some very detailed, inappropriate art on his face, with Xander laughing behind her.

Dawn, Willow and Kennedy had gone to bed two hours prior. Buffy had just slurred her good nights to Giles and Andrew, before going off to find her own bed.

"Wait, Buffy! I'll walk you." Dean said, running up to her.

"Ya know, this is probably one of the most secure places in the world. Don't really need a body guard. Plus, hello! Super Strength."

"Yeah I know, I just figured you might want the company." Dean replied, giving her a sly wink. It would have been very impressive if his drunken state didn't cause the wink to come out as more of a twitch.

Buffy laughed and thanked him, continuing their walk in silence.

As they arrive at her room, Buffy turned to say good night to Dean but was silenced by how close he was to her. He reached his hand up to tuck a stray hair behind her ear.

"You know before, when you said those things about hunting with us?"

Buffy blushed at the reminder, "uh yeah?"

"I should have said something before, but these last couple of weeks, they have been the best of my life."

Buffy looked into his eyes, about to give a smartass response, but was stopped with Dean's lips meeting her own. He kissed her sweetly, more of a good night kiss. He had brought hands up to cup her face. This wasn't a passionate kiss, but a kiss of regret and longing.

Dean eventually pulled away to look at Buffy. She was breathless, with shock and desire.

"Goodnight, Buffy."


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

The week following Christmas, had been awkward for Buffy.

Dean had given her one of the best kisses of her life, and then proceeded to avoid her like a bad smell.

They had spent three days at Slayer Central, before the boys found a job in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, and for the those three days, whenever Buffy walked into a room, Dean found a reason to leave.

She thought that once they got on the road, he would be different, but no. They made the 8 hour journey from Cleveland to Sturbridge in almost complete silence, with only Faith and Sam chatting away. If Sam and Faith noticed the tension, they were obviously choosing to ignore it.

If Buffy asked Dean a direct question, he would use as little words as he possible could to answer her, if she tried to get him alone, he would scamper off quicker than a squirrel. Buffy just couldn't understand what she had done wrong.

_I swear, one more day of this and I am going to go into hulk rage_ Buffy thought internally, as she watched Dean from the backseat of the Impala.

* * *

The week following Christmas, had been awkward for Dean.

Eight months ago, when he had made his deal, he had done it without hesitation. His little brother was dead, and he wanted him back. It was that simple.

So of course, with only four months left on this Earth, he finds the girl of his dreams. Frickin' typical.

Buffy was unlike any girl he had ever met, and on Christmas Eve, he decided to show her how he felt by kissing her.

_Idiot_.

He was going to die. He knew that. He had been trying to spend his last couple of months of his life setting up Sam for when he was gone. His main reason for meeting the Slayers was so Sammy wouldn't have to hunt alone.

He didn't expect for anyone else to mourn him. Sure Bobby, Jo and Ellen would, but not like this.

So Dean had spent the last week avoiding Buffy, hoping that she would just think he was a jerk and move on. It was killing him, treating her the way he was but he just wanted to protect her from what was coming.

He should have known Buffy wasn't going to give up that easy.

* * *

The foursome had arrived the day after Janet Dutton's murder and had gone straight to the crime scene to question her husband.

"So he seemed super evasive, right?" Dean asked everyone, as he got back into the Impala.

"Big time," Faith replied.

"I wouldn't know, I was under the sink, pulling this out," Sam said, holding up a Hex Bag.

"Great. Witches," Dean grumbled,

"Okay, this is what I'm thinkin', Sam and Deano trail Paul, make sure he's all sugar and spice, and B and I keep an eye on the house. Make sure everything is on the up and up. What you reckon?" Faith asked the group.

"Sounds good, except I think I'll go with Dean. I think I need more sleuthing experience," Buffy countered.

"Alrighty, Veronica Mars. Looks like its you and me, Stretch" Faith said with a laugh, not giving Dean a chance to object to Buffy's change of plan.

_Crap crap crap crap_

_Trying to avoid the girl, and she makes sure we're alone in a car together. Fricken perfect._

They had been following Paul Dutton all evening and had yet to see anything peculiar. They were currently watching Paul eat fast food in his car. _Riveting._

"So are we going to talk or are you going to be 'avoido guy' forever," Buffy asked Dean with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Dean lied.

"Bullshit," Buffy replied, "you know exactly what I am talking about. You kissed me, Dean, and ever since then, it's like you have a total Buffy allergy."

Dean just sat silently, trying to think of something to say that would make everything better.

"Look, I just think you could do better, okay?" Dean mumbled, trying to end the conversation as soon as possible.

"Don't you think thats my dec-"

"Shit!" Dean cried, before running over to Paul Dutton's car.

"Typical," Buffy grumbled under her breath before racing over to help Dean.

* * *

Not long after saving Paul, did Faith and Sam find Amanda body. Amanda's death lead the Hunter's to start investigating her neighbours, Tammi, Elisabeth, and Renee, who were also Amanda's friends.

While Buffy and Faith researched back at the motel, Dean and Sam had gone, the next day, to interrogate the three women.

"Well, I'm already sold on that Elizabeth chick? Did you see that victory garden of hers? Belladonna, wolfs bane, mandrake, not to mention that little flinch she threw when we mentioned the occult." Dean commented, driving away from the ladies' street.

Sam and Dean had run into all three women outside of Elizabeth's house and had a chance to question all three of them before driving back to the motel, to meet the girls.

"Well, she's definitely had a good run lately, gone up a few tax brackets; won almost too many raffles. Kinda thing a little black magic always helps with. She's not the only one either, looks like Mrs. Renee Van Allen has won almost every craft contest she has entered in the past three months," Sam replied, reading a text from Faith, about the Elizabeth and Renee's history.

"Yeah, a regular Martha Stewart huh? Except for the devil worship, I'm thinking that was the coven back there we met minus one member."

"Amanda was clearly going off the reservation, what do you think they killed her to keep up appearances?" Sam asked, sounding disgusted.

"Seems like an appearance kind of crowd, don't you think?"

"Yeah"

"If they killed the nut-job should we uh, thank them or what?" Dean asked with a laugh, expecting a scoff from Sam.

"They're working black magic too Dean, they need to be stopped," Sam replied with complete seriousness.

"Like, 'stop' stopped?" Dean asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah"

"Sam, they're human."

"So are the people they're killing."

Dean took a moment to look at his brother to figure out if he was serious, before resigning himself.

"Burn witch, burn," Dean muttered under his breath.

After a few minutes of driving in silence, the Impala started to sputter and come to a stop.

"What the fu-" Dean muttered looking down at the car's dash.

"Ruby," Dean heard Sam mutter. Looking at his brother in confusion, Dean soon followed his brother's gaze to the road in front of him.

In front of the Impala stood a blonde woman, who Dean assumed was Ruby. Sam quickly exited the car, followed closely by Dean.

"Sam, listen to me, there is no time. You have to get out of town," Ruby said, without any greeting or preamble.

"So, this is Ruby, huh?" Dean asked before raising the Colt, aiming straight at Ruby's heart.

"Why don't you point that somewhere else?" Ruby replied.

"Hahaha, right," Dean sarcastically replied.

"Dean!" Sam cried, trying to catch his brother's attention before he did something stupid.

"Sam, please. Get in the car, go get your little pet slayers and leave town. Now."

"Why? I don't understand," Sam replied, confused.

Before, Ruby could reply, the cocking of the Colt interrupted her.

"How do you know about Buffy and Faith?" Dean asked, barely containing his anger.

"Are you kidding?" Ruby scoffed, "your little side trip to Slayer Central is big news. All the nasties are talking about it. Which is why you have to leave, you boys are bringing down the wrong kind of attention."

"Listen here, hot stuff, we can handle a couple of kitchen witches."

"I'm not talking about the witches, jack ass, witches are whores. I am talking about who they serve."

"Demons," Sam gasped, "they get their power from demons."

"Yeah and there's one here, now," she replied, directly to Sam. "It knows you're in town and it's going to come after you, and its way more than you can handle."

"Are you seriously going to listen to this?" Dean yelled at his brother. "She's messing with your head!"

"I'm telling you the truth," Ruby exclaimed angrily, "why are you even part of this conversation?!"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because he's my brother, you black eyed skank!"

"Oh, right, right. You care about your brother so much, that's why you're checking out in a few months, leaving him all alone?"

"Shut up."

"At least let me try and save him, since you won't be here to do it anymore."

"I said, shut up," Dean said, raising the Colt to take aim at Ruby.

"Dean, no!" Sam yelled, pushing Dean's arm away from Ruby, resulting in the two Winchester's wrestling over control, before noticing that Ruby had disappeared.

* * *

The boys busted into the motel room, startling the two girls, who were stretched out on their beds.

"What don't you get, Sam? She is a demon! One of the bad guys, remember?"

"Oh, that's funny; I remember that demon chick in Ohio, Casey? You didn't want her dead. Or, how about, Buffy and Faith? Their power comes from demons!"

"That's different and you know it! They don't use their power to kill people!"

"And neither is Ruby! Look, I know it's dangerous, that she is dangerous, but like it or not, she is useful."

"No, we kill her before she kills us."

"Kill her with what? The gun she fixed for us?"

"Whatever works."

"Dean, if she wants us dead, all she has to do is stop saving our lives."

Without replying, Dean stormed over to the sink, to splash his face with water.

"Sooo, what;s going on?" Buffy asked cautiously from her bed.

"Sammy here has picked himself up a little demon buddy." Dean replied, leaning against the counter, across from Buffy.

"Look, we have to start looking at the big picture Dean, start thinking in strategies and- and moves ahead. It's not so simple, we're not- we're not just hunting anymore, we're at war." Sam said, ignoring the girls, and addressing Dean.

"Are you feeling okay?" Dean asked, standing in front of Sam.

"Yeah, I'm fine, why do you keep asking that?" Sam replied, sitting on the edge of one of the beds

"Because you're taking advice from a demon for starters, and by the way, you seem less and less worried about offing people, it used to eat you up inside."

"Yeah, and what has that gotten me?"

"Nothing, but it's just what you're supposed to do okay? We're supposed to drive in the friggin' car and friggin' argue about this stuff. You know, you go on about the sanctity of life and all that crap."

"Wait, so- so you're mad because I'm starting to agree with you?"

"No, I'm not mad, I'm- I'm- I'm worried, Sam," Dean replied, sitting on the edge of the other bed in the room. "I'm worried because you're not acting like yourself."

"Yeah, you're right, I'm not. I don't have a choice."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Sam took a quick glance at Buffy and Faith to see them hanging on every word that Sam and Dean were saying.

Sam looked back at Dean, and cautiously replied, "You know what it's meant to mean. Everything is going to change soon and I have to be ready. I have to be stronger, I have to change."

Dean picked up on Sam's hints towards Dean's deal, and was relieved that his brother didn't out and out say it in front of the Slayers, but he was still confused.

"Change into what?"

"Into you, I gotta be more like you."

Before Dean had a chance to reply, an overwhelming pain gripped his stomach, sending him to the ground.

"Dean!" Buffy exclaimed, running to his side.

"Dean, what's happening?" Sam asked, desperately.

"I don't know. Something wrong- Feels like knives inside of me-"

"Sam, it has to be the coven," Buffy explained, kneeling next to Dean.

"Right. Faith, help me find the hex bag. Quickly," Sam said, searching through the cupboards and under the beds.

"Sam, I can't find it. It's not here," Faith replied in a panic.

"No," Sam said to himself, grabbing the Colt and checking for bullets before racing to the door. "Faith, c'mon, we're going witch hunting."

* * *

Arriving at the witch's house, Faith quickly kicked the door down, and ran into the living room, followed closely by Sam.

Sam raised the colt, and focused on the women, sitting around the altar that had been set up on the coffee table.

"Let him go," demanded Sam, through gritted teeth.

"Let who go? What are you doing? You're insane, get out!"

"I'd listen to him, sister. It's his big bro you're trying to hurt. Makes Stretch here a little antsy," Faith replied, coming to stand beside Sam.

"Get away from the altar. NOW," Sam yelled, leaving no room for discussion.

The three women back away from the alter arms raised in surrender.

* * *

Buffy wiped blood off Dean's chin. Buffy placed Dean across her lap, with his back leaning against her chest.

A small pool of blood was forming on the ground beside where they sat.

"God- ya know, been through a lot. didn't think I'd die by second rate witch." Dean choked out, spitting out more blood on the ground.

"Stop that! You are not going to die!"

"Listen, Buff, in case this doesn't end well, I just want you to kno-" Dean's sentence was interrupted by the door being kicked in by a determined looking Ruby.

"You wanna kill me? Get in line, bitch." Dean said, pushing himself off Buffy's lap.

With two steps, Ruby made it across the room, and pinned Dean to the bed. Before Buffy had time to react, Ruby had sprayed black liquid into Dean's mouth, causing him to choke and spit some out.

"Stop calling me bitch."

* * *

Sam directed the witches to stand over by the fireplace, well away from their altar.

"Stop the spell or die, five seconds."

"What?" Renee asked, obviously confused.

"Four."

"God, please no. Please don't kill us," Renee begged.

"Sammy, something fishy is going on here," Faith commented, taking in the women's reactions.

"Please, we're just trying to get Renee a lower mortgage rate," Elizabeth explained.

"Next time you point that gun at me, I'm not gonna just disappear, understand?"

"Who are you?" Buffy demanded, hovering over Dean protectively.

"Buff, this is Ruby," Dean explained. "You saved my life," Dean stated bluntly, addressing Ruby.

"Don't mention it."

"What was that stuff? God, it was ass, it tasted like ass."

"It's called witchcraft, shortbus." Ruby said, before walking out the motel, slamming the door behind her.

"You're the shortbus, shortbus," Dean muttered under his breath, staring at the door.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?!" Buffy practically shouted at Dean in annoyance.

* * *

"Okay, maybe it's not you," Sam pointed the gun at Elizabeth, "or you," gun now pointing at Renee, "but maybe, it's you," Sam finished, leaving the fun pointed at Tammi.

"I don't even know what he's talking about, what are you even talking about?" Tammi exclaimed in a panic.

"Stretch, help me out here. What are you talking about?" Faith asked, confused.

"One of these 'witches' is actually a demon, and I'm putting my money on Tammi here," Sam replied, without taking his eyes of Tammi.

"I mean, all of you, everyone in your little coven, you've all had runs of good fortune, news worthy good fortune, except for you Tammi, " Sam explained," Now tell me, why is that? You didn't want anything for yourself? Or is it because you're already getting what you wanted, like these women's souls."

"I can't- I-I'm not- I-I-I don't-," Tammi begin, before sighing and putting her arms down in defeat, going from frightened to calm. Her eyes changed to black revealing her true nature.

"Nice dick work Magnum," Tammi said.

"Let me brother go."

"What's the matter? Couldn't find the hex bag? Sorry, sweetheart, but your brother's lungs should be on the floor by now."

As a response, Sam fired the Colt, aiming straight for Tammi's heart.

The bullet flew towards Tammi, and just as it was about to reach its target, Tammi raised her hand and halted the bullet's movement, much to the astonishment of both Elizabeth and Renee.

"You're in trouble, Sam," Tammi mocked, before mentally pinning Sam to the wall.

"Yeah, I don't think so," Faith countered, coming from behind Tammi and round-house kicking her in the head, causing the demon to barely stumble, catching Faith off guard.

"I am not a vampire, little girl, I don't hurt so easy," Tammi laughed, knocking Faith across the room, causing her to crash into the fireplace. Faith's head impacted against the structure solidly, knocking her unconscious.

"Faith!" Sam yelled, silently cursing himself for not being able to check on his friend.

"Tammi, what are you going?" Renee asked in astonishment.

"Renee, shut your painted hole"

"What? I-I will- You can't- Not in my house Tammi Fenton!"

Tammi waved her right hand, causing Renee's neck to be jerked so far to the right, it looked to be almost completely backwards, killing her instantly.

Elizabeth screeched in terror.

"Tammi, you got me. Let the girl go," Sam begged.

"Shh, you wait your turn," Tammi replied, before walking over to Elizabeth, "Shhh, Lizzie, it's okay."

"You're not Tammi."

"No, but I'm wearing her meat. I had to break the ice with you girls somehow."

"Who are you?"

"Funny story, actually. You remember all those dark demonic forces you prayed to, when you swore your servitude? Just who did you think you were praying to?"

Elizabeth stared at the demon in astonishment.

"What did you think it was? Make believe? Positive thinking? The Secret? No, it was me. You sold yourself to me, you pig."

"No, no, we didn't know-" Elizabeth tried to counter, before being interrupted by Tammi.

"Oh, yes you did. You knew every step of the way, and now your ever living souls are mine."

Tammi turned to Sam, with a wicked smile.

"Comments? Questions? Hmm, Sammy Winchester, wow! Right here in our little town. You know, my friends and I, we've been looking for you."

"Why? Oh, right, cause I'm supposed to lead some piss poor demon army."

"No, not at all. You're not our Messiah, we don't believe in you. But, there's a new leader rising in the west, a real leader. That's the horse to bet on Sam, the one who's gonna tear this world apart. Thing is, this demon, it doesn't like you very much, doesn't want the competition," Tammi raised her finger, causing Sam to be pushed further into the wall, "Nothing personal, it's a P.R. thing, so, buh-bye."

Sam's death was stalled by Dean Winchester crashing through the door, shot gun in hand. Without missing a beat, the demon mentally flung Dean over the sofa, before pinning him to the wall.

"Two Winchesters, for the price of one. Lovely." Tammi quipped, not noticing the blonde slayer rushing towards her.

Buffy crashed into Tammi, tackling her to the ground. Tammi quickly head butted Buffy, making her instantly dizzy. Tammi took the advantage and was soon straddling Buffy, hands around her throat.

"Always wanted to finish a Slayer and now I might get two? Today is a good day."

"Wait!" Ruby exclaimed from the doorway, hands up in surrender, "Please, I just came to talk."

"What do you want Ruby?"

"I've been lost without you, take me back. I'll do anything. That's why I led the Winchesters here."

_Told you!_ Dean mouthed to Sam.

"Let me serve you again, I've wanted it, I've wanted you for so long." Ruby continued, missing Dean and Sam's interaction.

"You _were_ one of my best," Tammi hesitated.

Ruby quickly grabbed the opportunity to stab Tammi with her knife, which Tammi easily blocked, flinging Ruby across the room, "But then again, you always were a lying whore."

Tammi stanched over to Ruby and started beating her with a heavy brutality.

Eventually, after revealing Ruby's human life, as a witch, Tammi knelt over Ruby, and started chanting, causing black smoke to start rising out of Ruby's mouth

Tammi had forgotten about the blonde Slayer, until it was too late. Buffy used Tammi's distraction, wrapping one arm around her ribs, and another around her mouth. Without hesitation, Buffy plunged Ruby's knife straight into her side, instantly killing her.

"Wow, this knife is nifty!" Buffy quipped, throwing the knife to the ground, next to Ruby.

Ruby got up off the ground, grabbing the knife.

"Get out of here. I'll clean up the mess." Ruby said, addressing the ground, too embarrassed to look anyone in the eye.

* * *

Dean had spent the last twenty minutes walking the streets that surrounded the motel. He had hoped that going for walk by himself would help clear his head, but he was having little luck.

Earlier tonight, when he thought he was going to die, the only thing that he could think of was Buffy. Not his mum, not his dad, none of his friends. Not even Sammy. Only Buffy. The only thing he felt was sorrow that he had to leave her.

Dean didn't understand why he was feeling these things. He'd known this chick for barely three months, and now she seemed to be consuming his every thought.

He knew he made the right decision in saving Sam. He would never doubt that. He just wished he could find a better way, a way that would let him have both Sam and Buffy.

_Give it up Dean, the world ain't perfert and you sure as hell don't deserve apple pie life._

Dean slowly walked back to the motel to find Ruby waiting for him in the parking lot.

"So the devil may care after all, is that what I'm meant to believe?"

"I don't believe in the devil."

"Wacky night. So let me get this straight, you were human once, you died, you went to hell, you became a-"

"Yeah," Ruby answered, before Dean had a chance to finish his question.

"So all of 'em, every damn demon, they were all human once."

"Everyone I've ever met. Most of them have forgotten what it means, or even that they were. That's what happens when you go to hell, Dean. That's what hell is, forgetting what you are."

Dean just looked at Ruby, not bothering with a response.

Ruby turned to leave, but stopped, turning back to Dean, "The answer is yes by the way."

"I'm sorry?"

"Yes, the same thing will happen to you. It might take centuries, but sooner or later hell will burn away your humanity. Every hell bound soul, every one, turns into something else. Turns you into us, so yeah, you can count on it."

"There's no way of saving me from the pit is there?"

"No."

"Then why'd you tell Sam you could?"

"So he would talk to me, you Winchesters can be pretty bigoted"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I need your help. The slayers help too."

"Help with what?"

"With Sam. The way Buffy stuck that demon tonight, it was pretty tough. Sam's almost there, but not quite, you need to help me get him ready, for life without you; to fight this war on his own." With that last comment, Ruby vanished.

* * *

Dean breathed in deep after Ruby left. He told Sammy there was no way to save his soul, but deep down, he always had hope. Hearing that there was no chance, well, it wasn't exactly a picnic.

Dean turned around to head back into the motel room, but before he could head inside he spotted Buffy leaning against the motel's wall, well within earshot of the conversation he just had with Ruby.

_Oh crap._

Dean made his way over to Buffy, noticing how tense her body was.

_Please don't hit me_

"When were you going to tell me?" Buffy asked, expressionless.

"Honestly? I have no clue."

"So, we were just going to travel together until you dropped dead? No 'bye Buffy'? Do I mean so little to you?" Buffy demanded, pacing back and forth

"Buffy, stop. It's not like that." Dean tried to explain, placing a hand on each of her shoulders to stop her from pacing.

"No? Than what is it? Why aren't you finding a way out of it?"

"God, Buf, it's more complicated than that! I sold my soul to save Sammy. He was dead and if I try and get out of my deal, he'll die. That's why I didn't want to tell anyone. I can't risk his life."

"There has to be a way!"

"No Buffy! Don't you get it? It's either me or him!" Dean yelled in response.

Dean and Buffy stared at each other for what felt like hours. Tears had welled up in Buffy's eyes.

"I am not going to let you die, do you understand me? Not now, not after everything we've been through. I am not going to let it happen," Buffy ranted, tears falling down her face. "I don't care what you say, there has to be a way. I'll call Willow, or-or Giles will know something. Anything."

Dean wiped the tears from her face and kissed her sweetly.

"In less than four months, I am going to die," Buffy tried to pull away from Dean, but he pulled her back and cupped her face with his hands, "Stop. Listen to me, Princess. _I am going to die._ But I want to die with you knowing how exactly how I feel about you."

With those words he pulled Buffy into a long passionate kiss. He kissed her with everything he had, only pulling away when a soft moan escaped from the back of her throat.

"You're it Buffy, you're the one, and I am damn grateful that I get to spend my last four months on Earth with you. I wish it could be longer, I really do, but I rather live four months, spending every waking moment with you, than live forever never knowing you."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Dean sat in the empty bar, nursing his whisky neat. He had spent the last two hours in the same seat, trying to clear his mind of everything that had happened on their last case.

Their last job took them to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Bobby had fallen into a mystical coma due to a punk ass kid's addiction to sleep root.

They had saved the day but not only had it cost them The Colt, thanks to Bella, but it had also forced him to accept some truths that he had been trying to deny for months.

Sam and Dean had used African Dream Root to try and defeat the kid, and save Bobby. It had sounded simple, but the drug had seeped into Dean's mind, and forced him to witness all his fears. It had made him witness a life he knew he would never get to live.

Dean had spent the last couple of months trying to convince Sammy, and himself, that this is what he wanted. That he was okay with dying.

After using the Dream root, he couldn't lie to himself anymore.

While under the affects of the dream drug, Dean had been confronted with his dream world. Himself, living the apple pie life with Buffy Summer's as his wife, with a white picket fence, and his Baby in the driveway. It was damn near perfect

It didn't take long for the dream to shift to his worst nightmare, himself as a demon.

Demon Dean threw every single one of Dean's insecurities in his face.

_You are nothing. You're as mindless and obedient as an attack dog._

_You think she actually loves you? You're dead inside, how could she love that?_

_You can't escape me, Dean. You're gonna die. And this, this is what you're gonna become._

_Daddy's blunt little instrument_

He could still hear the words in his own voice. They cut into him like a knife.

He knew Buffy was too good for him; the girl was practically a Goddess, but having to face his own daddy issues hurt more than he thought was possible.

He had spent his whole life obeying his father, making sure he did everything his dad said, and it was never good enough. Dean had spent his whole life protecting Sammy, to the point that he had given up his life to save his brother. He had nothing in his life outside of Sam.

That was, until he met Buffy. In a crystallising moment, he remembered the shining light she brought into his life. He remembered the love she had for him, and it seemed like nothing Demon Dean could say would take that away from him.

So he fought back, he beat down his own subconscious, and it made him realise something very important. He had found something that made him want to live, something to make him find a way to survive. He had _her_.

* * *

"Dean, you've been here for hours. Buffy was starting to get worried," Sam said, pulling up a chair next to Dean.

"I just needed time to clear my head," Dean mumbled into his drink.

"Right," Sam replied, drawing out the word sarcastically.

"Seriously, Sam, this is the best I have felt in months. Doesn't mean I couldn't use a hard drink."

Sam laughed, and ordered himself a beer, "yeah, I guess I could use a drink myself. Look, Faith and I were talking, and we think the two of us should head back to Cleveland. We think the rest of the team might be able to help us with your deal."

"Yeah, that's a great idea, but why don't Buffy and I go with you? I mean, my deal, remember? I should probably be comin' with."

"We think you and Buffy should be alone. Spend some time together, ya know, just in case," Sam replied, taking a long drag of his beer.

"In case of what, Sammy?"

"In case we don't find a way out of your deal."

An awkward silence followed Sam last statement. Dean knew his brother was right. He may want to live now, but that didn't mean he was going to.

"Thanks, Sammy," Dean said, clapping a hand on his brother's shoulder, and with a smile, continued, "But are you sure you're not going all the way to Cleveland to see a certain young brunette?"

Instead of replying, Sam went immediately red, and took a swig of beer, causing Dean to crack up in laughter.

* * *

Buffy was crazy about Dean. Surprisingly crazy, considering she's known him for all of five minutes. But, as usual, Buffy managed to fall for a guy with major issues. Like 'about to die' kinda issues.

_Someday I'll manage to find a guy that fits between 'going to die soon' and 'going to live forever'._

It had been two weeks since Buffy had found out about Dean's deal. In that time, Dean and Buffy had spent their time in between cases just sitting. Sitting, and talking.

They didn't talk about anything in particular. They certainly didn't talk about Dean's deal. They talked about their childhood, their fondest memories, and the weirdest things they killed.

It was surprising how easy they fell into 'dating'. It wasn't even a thought. Overnight, without meaning to, they had become a couple.

I mean, they weren't all over each other, or anything, but they were clearly 'together'.

What was surprising were Faith and Sam's reaction. The night of their witch hunt, after Dean and Buffy's confrontation, they had walked back into the motel room holding hands.

Faith took one look at them and sighed, "About damn time. The sexual tension was killin me."

"Tell me about it. One more drawn out love stare, and I think I would have killed 'em both," Sam replied with a snort.

After their last case, something in Dean changed. He had always avoided talking about his deal. As far as he was concerned, he was going to die, and he didn't want to waste their last month's together trying to stop something that was inevitable.

But as soon as Dean had woken up from his weird dream coma, he had walked straight over to Buffy, kissed her fiercely and passionately, and declared that he wasn't ready to die, and that he wanted to find a way to survive.

So Sam and Faith were off to Cleveland, and Buffy and Dean would make their way to their next hunt.

Alone.

Things got kinda awkward after that.

"Do we still get separate motel rooms? Or does that sound too prudey? Or does assuming that we're sharing a room seem too slutty? Maybe I should just com-"

"B, would ya quit it? It's going to be fine! You and Deano need this time together, believe me," Faith replied, wiggling her eyebrows in Buffy's direction. "Besides, I'm _dying_ to find out what's goin' on with little Dawnie and Stretch."

* * *

Dean and Buffy had dropped off Faith and Sam at the car rental place, and started their 7 hour drive to their next case, in Bedford, Virginia.

The town had been experiencing some vicious animal attacks, right around the same time as a full moon.

Buffy and Dean had arrived and booked into a motel. They had decided on one room that had two queen beds.

Shortly after investigating, they had been surprised to discover that the attacks were actually because of a giant bear, and not a werewolf.

Returned to their room, Dean sat down on his bed in shock.

"I swear this has never happened before. Something seems weird, it usually is."

"Don't worry, Sport, you'll get em next time." Buffy joked, sitting next to Dean on the bed

"Ha ha, very funny. Really didn't help you cracking up in the coroner's office. He thought you had gone off your rocker!"

"Yeah, but your face was worth it," Buffy replied with a giggle, before slipping into awkward silence.

They were alone. Totally alone. What now? Other than a few stolen kisses, they haven't really been intimate, and now they were alone, it felt like there was this pressure behind everything they could potentially do.

Dean had wanted to get Buffy alone for months, and now he finally had, he had no idea how to go about it. Him! Dean Winchester! Not knowing how to seduce a woman.

All thoughts of seduction left Dean's mind with Buffy's next sentence.

"I've died before, ya know," Buffy blurted out awkwardly.

"You di- what?" Dean asked, confused.

"Twice, actually. I mean, the first time, I was only dead for like a minute. The second time, though. That one was a bit longer. But what I mean is, the first time I died, I knew it was coming. There was this big prophecy that said the Slayer would die, at the hands of the Master, and I did, but Xander, he gave me CPR and brought me back, and I guess what I am trying to say is, I know what it's like, to know you're going to die and to feel like there is nothing you can do. I get it," Buffy rambled, finishing her speech with an intake of breath.

Dean didn't reply. He couldn't. His mind was going into over drive. He was picturing Buffy laying there, on the ground, beaten and bruised, her eyes opened but no life shining through.

He felt like he couldn't breathe, like a hole had been ripped through his chest.

"Dean, please, say something," Buffy begged, turning to face him.

"You died?" Dean whispered, staring at his feet.

"Yeah," Buffy replied, and with a small pause, she continued, "but look! I am still here," Buffy cupped Dean's face, forcing him to look into her eyes, "and I am completely fine."

Buffy drew Dean into a slow kiss, before pulling back, looking back into his eyes.

Dean pulled away from Buffy, and got off the bed, "I just need a minute," Dean murmured.

Buffy had died, and that very thought crushed him. Realistically, he knew that it was amazing she had lived this long. Slayers didn't usually have the longest life expectancy. Dean had just never thought what that really meant.

Dean turned back to look at Buffy. She was still sitting on the bed, looking down at her feet. How did things get so messed up? A year ago, he was hunting with his brother, kicking evil ass. Now, he was alone in a motel with a beautiful blonde, just months away from his death, and instead of trying to sleep with her, he was contemplating her death.

"Screw it," Dean said out loud, startling Buffy to look up at him.

Before she had a chance to question him, Dean's lips crushed against hers, pushing her down on the bed. Dean continued to passionately kiss Buffy, picking her up, lips still connected, and moved them to the top of the bed.

Buffy's hands moved from Dean's back, to his hips, pushing his shirt up and over his head, before reaching down and quickly taking off her own.

Dean paused, staring down at Buffy, taking in how beautiful she looked, before leaning down and continued to kiss her, slowly making his way down her cheek, to her neck, collarbone, and her breasts, before coming back up to her mouth.

Buffy undid Dean's pants, in a rush, while he undid hers, stopping their kissing to kick their pants off onto the floor. Soon only their underwear was the only things separating their bodies.

Dean peeled off Buffy's underwear, before leaning down to get a condom out of his bag.

"You actually carry them around?" Buffy scoffed.

"It's always good to be prepared, Princess," Dean replied with a wink, making Buffy laugh, as he leaned back down to kiss her.


	8. Chapter 8

 

Chapter 8

Dean and Buffy reluctantly left the motel after the third day, leaving to meet up with Sam and Faith at Slayer Central.

It was the first week of April, and they had just over a month to get Dean out of his deal.

"So what did Glenda the Good witch say exactly?" Dean asked, for the thousandth time, packing the last bag into the boot of the Impala.

" _Willow_ , didn't say anything," Buffy replied with a roll of her eyes, "Faith called and said Willow had a lead and to get our butts home - pronto!"

Dean scoffed, before coming behind Buffy, and wrapping his arms around her waist, and whispering in her ear, "Now, now, Princess, wouldn't you prefer to stay a little while longer? I've got a few more positions that I know you'll just love."

Buffy turned in his embrace, face red from blushing.

"I would _prefer_ to find a way out of your deal, so we can try those positions many, _many_ times," she replied, with a kiss.

"Alright, Blondie, have it your way. Let's go!" Dean replied, causing Buffy to squeal as he smacked her ass, before moving into the driver's seat.

* * *

Dean and Buffy arrived at headquarters a couple of hours later and went straight to the war room. Walking in, they were met with an atmosphere of foreboding.

"And here I thought you had good news," Dean commented, as he took a seat next to his brother.

The Scoobies were already seated, with Dawn next to Sam, and Willow and Xander across from them. Giles had gone home to England not long after Christmas, and Kennedy and Faith were off teaching classes.

"Well no, it is good news, its, uh, the best news we could get, really, b-but, that, ah, doesn't mean there isn't, ya know, issues," Willow replied, with an apologetic look at Dean.

"Glenda, calm down, I was just messing around," Dean chuckled, winking in Willow's direction.

"Right! Well, uh, we did find a spell. A spell that's powerful enough to break the deal. Break it completely, no hell trip for Deano, and no dropping dead for Sammy. But, uh, it's hard. Very hard," Willow stammered, nervously.

Buffy looked closely at Willow, noticing how anxious she really was. Willow had single handily changed the Slayer line. If this spell was making her nervous, it was obviously bad news.

"We have contacted my coven in England, and they agreed to help me with the spell, to give me a little more umph in power, but, uh, the ingredients, they will be a bit more, uh, complicated to get," Willow explained. "For the spell, we need a virgin's tears, not just any tears, but the tears of pure happiness. We also need the skin of a shapeshifter, and blood from a vampire. And, uh, they all need to be given willingly. And we need the name of the demon holding your contract. Oh! And the spell needs to be done on the full moon," Willow paused, "which is in three days."

Dean and Buffy stared at Willow in shock.

"Well I guess that's it," Dean murmured, taking Buffy's hand, giving it a squeeze, knowing that the spell would be impossible.

Sam cleared his throat, "Not necessarily, we've already got the virgin tears. For some reason, Bobby had some on hand. He's on his way to us now."

"And looks like we'll be gettin' us a demon name any minute now," Faith remarked, walking into the war room.

"Dramatic entry, much?" Buffy responded, with a smile.

"What can I say, B? Could never resist the fanfare," Faith chuckled, taking a seat.

"Before you came, Wills did a couple of locater spells. Found us a demon, and a shapeshifter," Xander explained, "We were lucky. We found a demon not far from here, and sent out a small team to extract it."

"Yup, and they've just returned. Got Kennedy working him over. Converted the basement into a cozy little torture chamber. Should have the name soon," Faith finished.

"Right, so now we need to get us a shapeshifer, and a vampire, and somehow convince them to do us a solid," Dean scoffed.

"Actually," Dawn started, "we've already got a vampire that has agreed to help."

"How the heck have you managed that?" Dean asked incredulously, not noticing the meaningful looks being directed in Buffy's direction.

Buffy's realisation hit her like a ton of bricks. There were only two vampires that would willingly help the Scoobies, and one of them was currently in England. That left one option.

"Spike," Buffy whispered, her tone of voice causing both Winchester's to look at her in curiosity.

Three years earlier, Willow had gone to Las Vegas on business. While she was there, she found out Spike was alive, and had been for the past year.

At first, when Buffy had found out about Spike being alive, she had been furious. For the last months of Sunnydale, he had been her crutch, supporting her and loving her, no matter what mistakes she made, and she had loved him for it, no matter if he believed her or not. She had loved him, but didn't realise it until it was too late. So she mourned him. She had mourned him for months. The only thing that got her out of bed every morning was the fact that the Slayer line had suddenly expanded, and someone needed to bring them together.

She had ranted to Dawn and Willow about how selfish Spike had been. How dare he be walking around and not come to find her? How dare he leave her in constant agony? How dare he keep fighting the good fight and not even drop her a simple phone call?

It had taken all of Willow's persuasion to convince Buffy that what Spike did was for the best for the both of them. Spike had to find out what it meant to have a soul without Buffy in his life, and Buffy needed to lead the Slayer line without any distractions.

So three years had passed and they hadn't spoken. Buffy knew that Spike was alive, and Spike knew that Buffy knew he was live, and neither of them had the courage to pick up the phone.

"Buffy," Dawn started hesitantly, "Spikes here. He arrived last night."

Buffy looked at Dawn in horror, dreading the drama that was about to unfold.

"Can someone please explain to me who the fuck Spike is?" Dean asked, through gritted teeth.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Buffy and Dean were alone in her room. She had decided that the explanation that Dean needed was more of a private thing. After an hour of explaining her romantic past, Angel, Riley and Spike all included, Dean felt like he was ready to burst.

"Okay, so you're telling me that you dated not one, but two vampires?" Dean asked, in a calm manner.

Happily surprised with Dean's attitude, Buffy replied, "Well yeah. But they were total champions of good."

"Alright, well I just have one question."

"Ye-?"

"Were you out of your fuckin' mind?!" Dean exploded off the bed. "You're a Vampire Slayer! THE Vampire Slayer at the time! You're supposed to kill vampires, not fall in love with them! Filthy bloodsuckers, and you let 'em touch you!"

Buffy sat in shock, too stunned to respond.

"Yeah, I expected a few ex-boyfriends. A gorgeous girl like you doesn't walk around and not pick up a couple of fellas. But I figured they'd be human. Hunters or something, I don't know. But now you're telling me you have a jonesing for guys that have a centennial? And what kind of name is _Spike_ anyway?" Dean's rant was swiftly cut off as he caught a glimpse of Buffy's face.

Her face was a mix between complete rage and utter betrayal. Dean didn't know whether to feel scared or guilty. He decided to stay angry.

"How _dare_ you judge me?" Buffy asked in a deadly quiet voice, causing Dean to flinch. "How dare you question my relationships, or my choices? Those 'filthy bloodsuckers', as you call them, have saved the world over and over again, and you have the audacity to speak about them like that?"

Dean, slightly chastised, started, "Buf-"

"No! I don't want to hear it!" Buffy yelled, getting up off the bed. "Spike and Angel may not be human, but they have more humanity in them than most people I've met, and if you have a problem with the fact that they're vampires, well than that's exactly that, _your_ problem." Buffy finished, crossing her arms and glaring at Dean.

Dean took a breath to calm himself, and tried to look at the issue from a logical stand point. "Look Buf, I ain't gunna sit here and pretend like I am okay with you datin' vampires. I just wasn't raised that way. But you say they're good, then I guess I gotta have faith that you know what you're doin'." Dean said, relutantly.

"Yeah, I guess you do," Buffy replied, walking out of the room.

Dean flinched as the door slammed shut. "Shit."

* * *

Buffy stomped back into the war room, barely taking in her surroundings.

Buffy had strutted down the halls of Slayer Central with her face looking like a thundercloud, causing anyone she came across to cringe back from her. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this angry.

Slamming the door to the War Room behind her, Buffy made her way to the table before being stopped by someone hesitantly saying her name.

Buffy looked up to find herself alone with Spike.

In a rare moment of shocked silence, Buffy stared at Spike in open awe.

Buffy was hit with the mental image of the last time she had seen Spike. He was standing there in the sunlight, burning up and saving the world.

Overcome with emotion, Buffy flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him, tears running down her face.

"Jeez Pet, 'm not gunna lie. Was expecting lot more yellin'," Spike commented, wrapping one hand around her waist, and the other coming to rest at the back of her head.

Buffy sniffled out a laugh, "oh don't worry, it's coming." She pulled slightly out of his embrace, just enough to get a good look at his face.

Spike looked exactly the same, which was to be expected, being an immortal vampire and all, but Buffy wasn't expecting the look in his eyes. He still looked at her with utter adoration, but accompanying his love for her was the gaze of a man utterly at peace with himself.

In the years that Buffy had known Spike; she had never seen him look so truly happy.

It was in that moment, Buffy still being held by Spike and staring into his eyes, that Dean Winchester walked into the room.

"Seriously? This is the guy?" Dean scoffed, taking in Spike's black jeans, black shirt, and leather jacket.

"Say, Pet, who's farmer Joe, over here?" Spike asked, referring to Dean's plaid shirt. He had yet to remove his arms from her body.

Buffy awkwardly extracted herself from Spike's embrace, "Spike, this would be Dean Winchester."

"Ah, this is the ponce that has stolen your heart, is it?" Spike asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Watch out who you're calling a ponce, you Billy Idol wannabe," Dean growled stepping towards Spike threateningly.

"Look mate, if you want to go a round, I'll be more than happy to oblige, but I wouldn't bet on it ending well for you."

"Well, _mate_ , I'd be more than happy to prove you wrong."

Spike smirked at Dean, before directing his attention back to Buffy

"I said it once, Pet, and I'll say it again, you have bleeding tragic taste in men,"

"That's it!" Dean exclaimed before pulling his arm back to punch Spike.

Spike easily avoided the punch, using the leverage to push Dean away, and switch places with him.

"Now, now, boy, you mustn't disrespect your elders."

"Dean, stop it!" Buffy growled.

"Yeah Dean, stop it," Spike mimicked at Dean, with a smirk.

Dean ignored Buffy, and caught Spike with an uppercut, causing Spike's nose to squirt blood.

"Ow, you stupid git!" Spike retaliated with a roundhouse kick to Dean's face, completely flooring him.

"ENOUGH!" Buffy yelled, grabbing Spike by the collar, pushing him into a nearby chair. She crouched down by Dean, checking for any serious injury. "Are you okay?" She asked, in concern.

"M'fine," Dean replied, pushing himself up, and away from her.

Buffy bristled at Dean's petulant attitude, and hotly said, "Good, then maybe you can stop trying to beat on the person that is here to help you."

"He's not a person, and I don't want his help," Dean yelled, pointing in Spike's direction.

"Well, lucky for you, Fabio, I'm not here to help you. I'm here for Buffy," Spike replied, looking at his nails, in disinterest.

"And that's exactly the problem," Dean growled, attempting to take a step towards Spike. Buffy quickly put herself in front of Dean, stopping any more violent interaction.

"Spike helping me save you is a problem?" Buffy asked sarcastically, with a raised eyebrow.

"You know damn well that it's not like that," Dean shouted in response.

"I don't care what it's like. Spike is here to help, and I am not going to let your jealousy ruin that," Buffy replied calmly, not letting the drama unnerve her.

Dean started down at Buffy, chest heaving with anger, before turning and leaving the war room, slamming the door on the way out.

"I actually kinda like him," Spike remarked, still looking at his nails. He looked up at Buffy with a smirk, "ya know, for a ponce."

* * *

Buffy, Dean, Sam and Faith left that night to go find their Shapeshifter. The drive was in complete silence. By the time they had reached their destination, Sam and Faith scrambled out of the car to avoid the awkwardness.

"Well, Wills said the Shapeshifter has made home base somewhere around here," Buffy remarked, looking around the peaceful neighbourhood.

Before anyone else could reply, the sound of a motorcycle pierced the air. Buffy turned to see Spike entering the street. She quickly caught the thunderous look on Dean's face, before walking towards where Spike had parked.

"I'm not really sure it's a good idea you being here," Buffy murmured to Spike.

Spike shot a smirk in Dean's direction, before addressing Buffy, "yeah well, while I wouldn't want to see Fabio's knickers in a twist, I figured you may need my superior vamp senses to sniff out the shifter."

"Great. A freak hunting a freak," Dean sarcastically remarked, having walked over during Spike's explanation.

"Whatever, mate. You want to flounder in the dark, be my guest," Spike replied, getting back on the bike.

"No! Wait!" Buffy exclaimed.

"Buffy, c'mon, we can do this without Dracula," Dean commented.

"Oi! Don't compare me to that prick!" Spike exclaimed, mostly ignored by Buffy and Dean.

"We need him, Dean. Without him, the search could take forever," Buffy said softly, trying to make Dean see reason.

"Whatever, just keep him away from me."

Dean stalked away from them, taking Sam with him. Faith followed, figuring they made need her Slayer senses.

"C'mon, love, let's get this over with," Spike said, walking in the opposite direction.

Five minutes later, Spike and Buffy were walking side by side, catching up on the past few years.

"I'm still mad you never called me," Buffy said, finally bringing up the subject they had been avoiding. "I thought you were dead!"

"You have no idea how much I wanted to. Every day not seeing you was agony. Especially when I found out you had come back to the States. But I couldn't. Not without proving myself."

"You didn't have to prove yourself to me. I already knew you were a champion," Buffy replied, smiling up to him.

"While I appreciate the sentiment, pet, I had to prove it to m'self. I got this soul for you, but without you around, I had no idea what to do with it."

"And have you?"

"Yeah, pet, I think I have." Spike replied, with a smile, his eyes shining with pride.

Buffy wrapped her arm around his waist, while still walking side by side, and gave it a squeeze.

"Told ya so," she replied, looking up at him.

"That you did," Spike said softly, looking down at his feet.

Spike abruptly stopped, unwrapping Buffy's arms from his waist and faced her, hands by his sides.

"Do you love him?" Spike asked bluntly, looking directly into her eyes.

"Yeah, I do," Buffy replied, unashamed.

Spike sighed, looking back down at his feet. "I shoulda guessed you'd find a little tin soldier to keep you warm out night. You always did need some darkness in your man."

"Look Dean may be acting like a jerk, but this isn't him. Dean's a hero. Just like us."

"Us?" Spike asked, with a scoff. "Yeah, I suppose he is. Doesn't mean he's good enough for you." Spike finished, scuffing his boots in the dirt.

He looked back up to Buffy, and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Listen Pet, we're a team again, you gottit? Dean or, No Dean, we beat the baddies together, alright?"

Buffy looked at Spike with such relief, and gratitude, causing Spike to look away in embarrassment. Buffy stopped him by placing her hands on the side of his face, keeping him in place. "Thank you," she replied, with utmost sincerity.

"Big Bads not the only one to have changed," Spike said, puffing out his chest, causing Buffy to laugh. "Four years ago, you wouldn't of hugged me like you've been doin'. You seem happier, smile brighter."

Spike was right. Sunnydale Buffy barely smiled at Spike, let alone hugged him.

After leaving Sunnydale, the burden of being the Slayer had slowly lessened. Not only was she surrounded by super powered girls that understood her plight, but she had finally found her place in the world. Running the school, and training the girls had given her a purpose that being a Slayer couldn't match. The very thought brought a smile to her face.

Spike began to say something, before catching the smell of something distinctively not human.

"Love, I think we got him," Spike said, nodding towards a house slightly down the road.

"Let's do this," Buffy said, back in business mode.

Spike and Buffy made their way over to the house, scoping it out, and slowly made their way to the back of the property. It had just turned past 9'oclock, and was completely dark. They crept up the back stairs, with Spike in the lead. Spike quickly and effectively picked the lock.

"Really gotta learn how to do that," Buffy muttered, as she kept an eye out for any interruptions.

Spike chuckled in response. He quietly opened the door, and stepped through.

"Hey! How come you can walk in all uninvited?" Buffy loudly whispered.

"Owner's not human, pet. Makes for easy entering."

"Ah," Buffy replied, making her way through the house, following her Slayer senses.

Buffy had just open the sliding doors that lead into the dining room, when she was forced back by the swing of the bat. She lost her balance, fell to the ground.

"Oomph!" Buffy looked at her spot from the ground, and saw a middle aged man holding a bat high in the air.

_So much for Slayer skills_ Buffy scoffed to herself.

"Who are you!? What are you doing in my home?" The man demanded, voice slightly shaking.

Buffy slowly got off the ground, arms raised in the air, "We're not here to hurt you."

"Well what do you want?" He asked, backing up, keeping an eye on both Buffy and Spike.

"Mate, we know what you are," Spike replied, "shifter."

A look of utter fear crossed the man's face. "No no no. I haven't done anything wrong. No please, no," The man began to sob, "Please! I have a wife and kids, they'll be home soon. We don't shift, we don't do anything. Please, no."

Buffy looked at Spike in concern. Spike was looking at the man with complete sympathy.

"Sir, I promise, we don't want to hurt you or your kids. We just want your help." Buffy said, in a calm, reassuring voice.

"M-my help? But you broke in! My father warned me about people like you. Hunters," He spat the last word out in disgust. "He warned me that you'd come eventually. Just because we're different."

"Look, I'll be honest, most shifters are dangerous. That's why we broke in. We didn't know what to expect. But we really do need your help. And in exchange, we can promise protection."

"We didn't need protection before you came here!" The shifter yelled, pointing the bat towards Buffy.

"I know, and I am sorry. But we need you."

"Why?" The man pleaded.

Buffy quickly explained Dean's deal, and the spell to reverse it. She explained that in exchange for his help, she could offer a lifetime's protection for him and his family.

"Just some of my skin, that's it?"

"Scout's honour," Buffy replied, in a comforting smile.

The shifter hesitated, looking from Buffy to Spike. "Fine," He finished, lowering the bat.

Buffy sighed in relief, and surprised the man with a hug. "Thank you!"

Ten minutes later, Buffy and Spike made their way back to the Impala.

"The way Dean and Sam spoke about shifters, you would think they were as bad as vamps," Buffy remarked, grimacing at the jar of skin she was carrying.

"Most are, pet. This one was different, is all."

"Looks like it's going around," Buffy replied, looking at Spike pointedly, making him smile.

"How'd you guys go? Coz we got bupkis," Faith asked, as Spike and Buffy neared the car.

"Ta da!" Buffy said with a flourish, revealing the skin.

"Heck yeah, B! Let's get back home so Wills can work her mojo!"

Buffy looked to Dean with a huge grin, wanting to celebrate their breakthrough. Dean looked at her blankly before getting into the car.

* * *

"Her name is Lilith," Kennedy said, sitting down next to Willow.

The Scooby gang, Spike, and the Winchesters were all gathered in the War Room, waiting for Bobby to arrive.

"Huh?" Buffy replied.

"The demon that holds Dean's deal? Her name is Lilith," Kennedy expanded.

"Yes!" Willow exclaimed. "We can do this! We're going to do this," she continued, trying and failing to hide her nerves.

"You got this, Red," Faith said, smacking Willow on the back, making her flinch.

"Ms Summers?" A voice said, coming from the intercom in the middle of the table "A Mr Bobby Singer has arrived and asked to see you."

"Of course, send him our way," Buffy replied, holding down a button.

Not long afterwards, the receptionist showed Bobby into the War Room.

Bobby took a look around the room and whistled, "Well goddamn," he muttered, looking at the weapons and tomes on display.

Dean and Sam quickly made their way to Bobby to greet him with a hug, and introduce him to the rest of the gang.

"No time to get to know each other. Let's get on with it," Bobby said, sitting down.

"A man of my own heart," Faith said with a laugh, and a wink in Bobby's direction. Her reaction made Dean and Sam give each other looks of disgust.

"Uh, okay, well, I've set everything up. We, um, were just waiting for the last ingredient," Willow said, grabbing the jar from Bobby and walking over to a cluttered corner of the War Room.

On closer inspection, the 'clutter' was assortments of magical equipment. Willow sat herself down in the middle of a red sand circle, and looked up at Dean and Buffy, who had subconsciously come to stand together in front of Willow.

"I, uh, would get back, if I were you," she said, with a nervous smile.

The rest of the group backed away from Willow and gave her space to work her magic.

Willow bowed her head, and started to mutter the spell in Latin, too quiet for anyone to make out the words. Soon, a bluish haze surrounded Willow like a bubble, muting any words she was whispering.

After a few minutes, her head suddenly shot up, startling the rest of the group. She looked directly at Dean, eyes black, and face contorted, as if shouting. Within seconds the black seeped from her eyes, as she continued to stare at Dean, looking through him. Her mouth fell open in a silent scream. Her body was lifted from the ground, slowly, arms rising until they sat parallel to her body.

"I don't think this is right," Dawn commented nervously, breaking the silence.

"We need to get her out of there!" Kennedy shouted, taking a step towards the blue haze.

Bobby stopped her before she got too close, "Don't be stupid, girl. Ain't nothing gettin' through to her."

Kennedy looked at Bobby in anger, but was cut off by Willow's scream piercing the air.

The blue haze had been stripped away, allowing everyone to hear her pain. Willow's nose, ears, and eyes were weeping blood, and her face was scrunched in agony. Before anyone had the chance to reach her, Willow was flung across the room, colliding with the huge wooden doors, with a sickening crunch.

"Willow!" Buffy screamed. She had made it to Willow first, and was cradling Willow's head in her lap.

"Couldn't. So strong. Couldn't. Oh god," Willow sobbed, before losing consciousness.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I noticed that some people had a problem with how I end my last chapter. I wanted to just take a moment and explain why Willow couldn't break the deal.
> 
> 1\. It was never about beating Lilith directly. That wasn't want stopped Willow. It was the deal itself. A deal for someone's life is strong, and pretty much unbreakable. Mix that with the fact that Lilith held the deal and you got yourself a pretty strong spell.
> 
> 2\. This is a mix universe of Buffy and Supernatural. Laws that may have applied in the separate universes, may not apply in this one.
> 
> 3\. If Willow had broken the deal, this story wouldn't have been able to go like I wanted it to. So unfortunately she lost this one.
> 
> Anway, I do appreciate all my reviews, even the negative ones, because it does help me become a better writer.
> 
> Enjoy.

 

Chapter 10

Buffy found Dean in her room two hours after Willow had been admitted to the nurse's office. Will had woken up after 10 minutes, and seemed fine, except for a killer headache.

Dean was lying on Buffy's bed, staring up at the ceiling. He quickly got up as Buffy gently shut the door.

"Hey. I've been looking for you. Will's okay. She feels terrible about the spell. She keeps rambling about how she'll find another option," Buffy said, as she slowly walked over to Dean.

"I think we both know we got no more options," Dean replied, softly.

Buffy took Dean's hand, and gave it a squeeze. "I will never give up on you. You understand me?"

Dean smiled, and cupped Buffy's face, "Yeah, Princess, I know."

Dean kissed Buffy, sweetly and gently. His hands moved slowly, down from her face, to her arms, and around her waist. He pulled her flush against him and deepened the kiss, making Buffy moan.

Buffy's hands came to rest at Dean's chest, gripping his shirt as the kiss became more passionate.

Dean picked Buffy off the ground, and lowered her to the bed. He slowly undressed her, running soft kisses all over her body, making Buffy shudder.

He made his way back up to Buffy's lips, sweetly kissing her. "I love you, Buffy Summers. More than you can possibly imagine." As Dean uttered his last words, he entered her, causing her to moan. He made love to her slowly, trying to feel every inch of her body against his. He touched her, and savoured her as if she was the most precious thing in the world. He made love to her as if it was his last night on Earth.

* * *

An hour later, Dean found himself running through an unfamiliar forest. It looked like every other forest, except much, much eerier. He ran as fast as he could, trying not to trip, the sounds of vicious Hellhounds at his heels. Stopping suddenly, he found a Hellhound in his path, cutting him off. Dean hesitated only for a second before dashing to the side. For a couple of minutes, Dean thought he may escape, but that hope was quickly dashed as a Hellhound tripped him from behind. The beast effectively pinned Dean to the ground, and started to rip into his stomach, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Dean? Dean, wake up!"

Dean abruptly sat up in bed, drenched in sweat.

"You were having a nightmare," Buffy explained, at his side.

Dean took a moment to compose himself, before looking at his girlfriend.

_Wow, 'girlfriend'. Who woulda thought?_ Dean thought to himself

Buffy obviously had just woken up. Her hair was a mess, and she was still snug under the covers, but her eyes were alert and worried.

"Just a dream, darlin'. Go back to sleep," Dean replied

"You don't wanna talk about it?"

"I really don't," Dean wrapped his arms around Buffy's waist and pulled her closer to him. It took a while, but he finally felt Buffy fall back to sleep. Dean spent the rest of the night wide awake, with Buffy in his arms.

* * *

The next morning, without plan, the Scoobies, Winchesters and Bobby slowly gravitated to the War Room, and solemnly gathered around the table.

"I don't know what else I can do," Willow said, taking a seat at the table. She had spent the rest of the evening in the med bay, and had only just been released. "The deal is too strong, I can't break it. I'm so sorry," Willow said guiltily, "I feel like a total failure," she finished, glumly.

"Hey, Red, don't sweat it. We always knew there would be a chance it wouldn't work," Dean replied, giving Willow a reassuring smile.

Buffy hadn't sat down, and was pacing around the room, "There has to be _something_ we can do. There is always something we can do." She blurted in frustration.

"Well, there might be somethin'," Bobby replied.

Buffy abruptly stopped her pacing, to stare at Bobby.

"Before I made my way here, I found a locatin' ritual. We find Lillith, we kill her, we put an end to the deal," Bobby said, looking in Buffy's direction.

"Woah, hold up there," Dean interjection, standing up from his seat, moving to stand near Buffy, knowing she would be the one that needed convincing, "First of all, we don't even know if Lilith holds my deal. We're going off of some demon's intel? Since when did we start trustin' demons? When those bitches breathe, the air comes out crooked. Second, even if we could get to Lilith, we have no way to gank her. And third, what if this is the same demon that wants your head on a pike?" Dean questioned, gesturing towards Sam, "Should I continue?"

"We don't know that for sure," Sam said hestiantly.

"Bullshit! The demon in Sturbridge said there was a new power raising in the west, and now we're up against a demon strong enough that it's deal's not only repel Willow, but her whole goddamn coven! It's not a fricken coincidence!"

"I can handle myself, Dean!" Sam shouted back, "For once, can we worry about you?"

"Fine! Let's worry about me! Say we get to Lillith, how we gunna kill her?" Dean asked, directing the question to the whole room.

"The Scythe," Buffy said, quietly.

"Huh?" Dean asked, still angry.

"The Scythe. It's super powerful. If anything could do it, the Scythe could," Dawn filled in, catching onto Buffy's train of thought.

"We don't know that! We can't just walk into the situation with a weapon that 'might' work" Dean retorted.

"Well, ain't you bringin' down the room," Bobby muttered.

"Yeah it's a gift," Dean replied, taking his seat.

"So what are we meant to do, Dean?" Sam asked, exasperated.

" Just 'cause I gotta die doesn't mean you all have to, okay. Either we go in smart or we don't go in at all."

"Okay, well I have an answer" Sam, replied.

"You do?"

"Yeah. A sure-fire way to confirm it's Lilith and a way to get us a bona fide demon-killing ginsu."

Dean immediately caught onto Sam's train of thought.

"Sam, no. Hell no!"

"What? Sam, what is it?" Buffy asked, ignoring Dean's objection.

Sam looked in Dean's direction for a moment before answering.

"Ruby. We can summon Ruby."

"The hell we are! We have enough problems as it is!" Dean replied, gruffly.

"Dean, we're running out of time, and no other choices," Buffy said, praying Dean would see their side.

"Come on! She is the Miss Universe of lying skanks! She told you that she could save me, huh – lie. She seems to know everything about Lilith but forgot to mention, oh right – Lilith owns my soul!"

"Okay, she's a liar. But she's got the knife, and we know that kills demons," Sam countered.

"Dean," Bobby said, trying to interject.

"For all we know, she's working with Lilith!"

"Well give us another option Dean, because this is all we got!" Buffy shouted back, raising her voice for the first time.

"Sam's right," Bobby said.

"NO DAMN IT!" Dean shouted, jumping from his seat, shocking everyone in the room with his outburst.

Buffy crossed the room to Dean, and looked him directly in the eye. "We're doing this. With or without you. You can either help out, or be left behind," Buffy said calmly, leaving no room for disagreement.

Deans shoulders slumped in defeat, "I can't let anything happen to you or Sam, I just can't," Dean whispered, pressing his forehead against hers for a quick moment.

"So you won't," Buffy declared, "We're getting out of this alive. All of us."

"Okay," Dean muttered, giving up. "But I don't want that Ruby bitch apart of this."

Buffy nodded in agreement, and stepped away, and addressed the room.

"Tomorrow, we're taking the fight to Lilith."

* * *

"Okay, Bobby's got the location," Sam said, taking a seat across from Dean and Buffy. They were in the school cafeteria, eating dinner.

"Alrighty. You got the knife?" Dean asked, mouth full of pie.

"Yeah. Ruby's stuck in the school basement until we can figure out what to do with her," Sam said, looking slightly guilty.

"I'm going to go rally the troupes. We've got Willow and Faith coming with us, so I want to make sure the rest of the team knows how to handle things in case the plan falls through," Buffy said, kissing Dean on the cheek before leaving the room.

"Ya know Bobby isn't going to like being left behind," Sam said, finishing off Buffy's sandwich.

"He don't gotta like it," Dean said. "It's one thing leading two Slayers, and a mega Witch into battle, it's another bringing Bobby. If he got hurt-," Dean wiped his face with his hands, unable to finish his line of thought.

"We're getting through this," Sam said, looking Dean straight in the face. "You're coming home to Buffy, and I'm coming back for Dawn."

Dean smirked, "So you and Dawn. That's a thing, huh?"

Sam immediately reddened, realising his mistake. "It could be a thing," he replied, trying to avoid the issue.

"Treat her right, bro. Wouldn't want a Slayer breathing down ya neck for breaking her little sisters heart," Dean said, making his way to the door.

"I had thought of that," Sam muttered to himself, following Dean out.

* * *

The next day, a bit after lunch, Willow, Faith, Dawn, Sam, Dean, and Buffy were gathered in the car park. Dawn had come down to say her goodbyes, having been told by Buffy that under no circumstances would she be coming.

Spike had also been forced to stay back, due to the gang leaving in the middle of the day.

Everyone was about to pile into their cars. Dean and Sam were in the Impala, and Buffy, Willow and Faith were taking Faith's car.

Just as Sam hugged Dawn goodbye one last time, Dean tried to start his car, to no avail. Bobby appeared out of nowhere, clearly pissed off.

"Where do you think you're going?" Bobby asked angrily, holding up the Impala's distributor cap in his hand.

"We got the knife," Dean tried to explain, lamely, getting out of the car.

"And you intend to use it without me," Bobby replied, getting more pissed off, "do I look like a ditchable prom date to you?"

"No, Bobby, of course not," Sam said.

"This is about me, and Sam, okay? It's bad enough we've dragged the girls into it. This isn't your fight," Dean said, defending himself.

"The hell it isn't!" Bobby shouted in response, causing Dean to look up to him, startled by his outburst. "Family don't end with blood, boy. Besides, you need me."

"Bobby," Dean tried to interject.

"You're playing wounded. Tell me, how many hallucinations have you had so far?" Bobby asked, pointedly.

Sam looked at Dean in confusion, causing Dean to look away in embarrassment, having had his secret exposed.

"How'd you know?" Dean asked softly.

"Because that's what happens when you've got hellhounds on your butt. And because I'm smart."

Dean looked at the ground in shame, only looking up as Bobby handled him the distributor cap. "I'll follow," he said finally, before walking to his car. "Don't be stopping to pee every ten minutes either!"

Dean got into his car, hearing the girls laugh at him for getting in trouble.

* * *

Night came too quickly as the three cars drove towards their destination. Music was quietly filling the Impala, making a comfortable silence for the boys.

"Hey, Dean?"

"Yeah?"

" You know if this doesn't uh, this doesn't go the way we want, I want you to know –"

"No. No, no, no, no," Dean interrupted, shaking his head.

"No what?"

Dean looked at Sam, "No, you're not gonna bust out the misty good-bye speech, okay? And if this is my last day on earth, I do not want it to be socially awkward."

Sam looked out his passenger side window, feeling a bit ripped off that he didn't get the chance to tell Dean what he wanted to say. He didn't want his brother to leave this world without him knowing how much Sam loved him.

"You know what I do want?" Dean asked, before turning up the radio.

Bon Jovi's Dead or Alive loudly filtered through the car, causing Sam to give Dean a look of disdain.

"Bon Jovi rocks, on occasion," Dean said with a smirk, looking at his brother, before loudly singing the lyrics.

_And I walk these streets_  
A loaded six-string on my back  
I play for keeps

He turned to Sam ,"Come on!"

_'Cause I might not make it back  
I've been everywhere_

_and I'm standing tall_

Sam laughed, and quickly joined in the next verse.

_I've seen a million faces_  
And I rocked 'em all  
'Cause I'm a cowboy  
On a steel horse I ride  
I'm wanted

Dean looked at his brother, seeing the delight on his face at sharing this moment with his brother. He looked at his baby brother and couldn't help the feeling of dread creep up from his stomach.

Sam had continued to sing, belting out the chorus, not noticing that Dean had stopped singing. Dean listened to the lyrics, and couldn't help how much they fit.

He would never hunt with his brother again. Never get into another prank war with him, or go fishing when they were between hunts. They would never lay on the hood of the Impala, and watch the stars again. He never told anyone, but out of everything he shared with his brother, that was his favourite.

With those thoughts rolling around in his head, Dean was truly scared for the end of his life.

* * *

Not much longer, Dean and Sam were pulled over by a police car.

"I've got a busted tail-light. It's not like we're in a hurry or nothing," Dean explained, pulling to the side of the road.

Sam handed Dean his licence and registration as the officer made it to the driver's side door.

It wasn't until after Dean had handed over his information that he looked at the officer. Shocked at the officer's distorted face, he almost missed the question being directed towards him.

"Yes… yes sir. Uh… you know I've been meaning to… take care of that," Dean replied, after the officer shined his torch in Dean's face, "as a matter of fact-" Dean finished abruptly, opening his car door quickly and smashing it into the officer's stomach.

"Dean!" Sam yelled, opening his car door, and making his way over to the driver's side.

Before Sam had a chance to get around the car, Dean pulled Ruby's knife from his belt, thrusting it up into the officer's chin. The officer flashed with light, before dropping to the ground.

Two other cars pulled up, with Bobby getting out of his car to investigate. "What the hell happened?"

"Dean just killed a demon," Sam replied, shocked, "How'd you know?"

"I just knew," Dean replied, out of breath, "I could see its face. Its real face, under that one."

Buffy walked up to the car, "Well, we better hide the evidence. Don't really need the fuzz on our butts right about now."

Sometime later, the gang were putting branches on top of the police car, to hide it from plain sight.

"So what, you're seeing demons now?" Sam asked Dean.

"I've seen all kinds of things lately but nothing like this," Dean replied.

"It's actually not that crazy," Bobby said, on the other side of the car, causing everyone to look at him in confusion, "Well you've got, just over five hours to go? You're piercing the veil, Dean. You're glimpsing the B side."

"Explainy," Buffy demanded, hands on her hips.

"He's almost Hell's bitch. So he can see Hell's other bitches."

"Huh. Would be kinda helpful, ya know, if it wasn't for the whole 'death' thing," Faith said, using her fingers to make quote marks.

Dean scoffed in reply.

"She's right," Bobby said, scratching his head. "Lilith's probably got demons stashed all over town. We can't let them sound the alarm. She knows we're here, we're dead before we're started."

"Well, this is a terrific plan," Dean replied sarcastically, "I'm excited to be a part of it. Can we go, please?"

* * *

"It's the little girl. Her face is horrible," Dean said, with a grimace.

The gang were posted outside a window, assessing the situation. They arrived sometime after 8PM, and had quickly scoped out the layout of the house.

"It's her alright. I can feel her essence," Willow agreed, "It's so dark. Not as bad as The First, but still pretty bitey."

"Girl can't feel you?" Faith asked.

"I'm shielding us. Hopefully she won't detect us until it's too late."

"I wouldn't bet on that," Dean replied, looking around the street, "See the go getter mailman? And Mr Rogers?" Dean asked, pointing out two seemingly normal men.

"Demons?" Buffy asked.

Dean nodded.

"Alright, fine. We ninja our way past them, and sneak in," Sam said.

"Then what? Give a Columbian Necktie to a ten year old girl? Come on!"

"Deano, it sucks, but playschool is probably already dead," Faith explained, "and a whole ton of people more, if we don't put this bitch down."

"It's not about just about you Dean, it's about everyone," Sam agreed.

"She's gotta be stopped, son," Bobby said.

"Fine! Not everyone at once," Dean muttered, getting a sympathetic look from Buffy.

* * *

Sam and Faith went off to deal with the demons Dean pointed out, while Bobby and Willow left to bless the water pipes, leaving Buffy and Dean alone.

Buffy and Dean faced each other almost awkwardly, not quite sure what to say. They had so many unsaid words between them; they found it hard to find the right ones.

Finally Dean broke the silence, "Buff, you gotta promise me something, alright? I know you don't want to hear it, but it's gotta be said. If I don't make it out of here, _do not_ bring me back. You bring me back, Sam dies. I can't have that weight on me. Promise me that, Princess,"

A tear escaped Buffy's eye as she nodded. Dean wrapped her in a hug, kissing the top of her head. "The things we woulda done, Princess," he almost whispered, "there was so much I wanted to show you. There's this burger place," Dean started with a chuckle, "you probably woulda ate 'em dry, with your sick eating habits."

Buffy laughed at Dean's lame attempt at a joke, detangling himself from his hug, giving him a playing punch in the shoulder. "You can talk!" She said, wiping the tears from her face.

Dean looked at Buffy, capturing her image in his mind. Remembering every detail of her face, every strand of hair, knowing that shortly it may be all he had left.

Buffy stretched up to capture Dean's lip in a kiss. "Let's go beat the baddies," she said with a smile, taking Dean's hand in hers.

"Well isn't this adorable," a sarcastic voice interrupted their moment.

"Ruby," Dean growled, unconsciously stepping in front of Buffy, shielding her with his body.

"I'd like my knife back, please. Or your neck snaps like a chicken bone," She replied.

"Please," Buffy scoffed, with a laugh.

"He doesn't have the knife, Ruby," Sam explained, coming up behind the blonde demon, followed by Faith.

"Give me the knife before you hurt yourself, Sam."

"You'll get it when this is all over."

"It is over! Dean's going to die. He's dead. But I'm not going to let you die too."

"Guys! Can you have this cat fight later," Dean interrupted, indicating to the people that had slowly started to surround them, "So much for the element of surprise," he muttered glumly.

Buffy took in the 6 demons that surrounded them, "we can take 'em, but it'll take time."

"Time we don't have. I say we run," Faith replied, holding the Scythe.

"Go!" Sam shouted, leading the way into the house. He arrived at the door, and started to pick the lock.

Dean faced the lawn, noting the dozen demons that were surrounding them, "where the hell is Bobby?" He muttered to himself.

Just as Sam unlocked the door, the lawn's sprinkler system switched on, drenching the demons on the lawn, and preventing any others from getting closer.

Dean laughed at the demons, and entered the house, shutting the door behind him.

"You think Willow and Bobby are going to be okay?" Sam asked in concern.

"Willow can handle those guys, easy," Buffy replied, trying to put Sam's mind at ease.

Sam, Ruby and Faith made their way upstairs, as Dean and Buffy took the father's unconscious body down stairs to the basement, keeping him safe.

"Why is he knocked out?" Buffy asked.

"He was being disagreeable," Dean answered, flippantly.

Sam entered the child's room first, knife held out, ready to attack. He slowly approached the bed, noticing the girl's mother sitting on the bed. Her face was devoid of hope, and tears had made her face swollen and red. "Do it," She whispered, encouraging Sam to end her hell.

Sam nodded, raising his arm, ready to put an end to the demon, just as the girl woke up with a scream.

Dean quickly grabbed Sam's arm from behind. "It's not her! She's not in the body anymore!"

The girl had broken down, and was being rocked by her mother. Dean led the mother and daughter into the basement. Faith and Buffy had broken off from the group, searching the house for anymore demons.

Ruby walked into the living room, followed closely by Sam.

"Dammit Ruby, where is she?" Sam yelled. Ruby shrugged in response. "How'd she get past the sprinklers?"

"Her pay grade, she's not exactly sweating sprinklers," Ruby explained.

"Ok you win, what do I have to do?" Sam begged, causing Ruby to look at him questioningly. "What do I have to do to save Dean?" Sam expanded.

Dean came behind Sam as he finished his question, "what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Sam ignored him, "Ruby!"

"You had your chance. You can't just flip a switch. We needed time," She explained.

"Well, there's gotta be something. There's gotta be some way, whatever it is, I'll do it."

"Sammy! Stop!" Dean cried, grabbing Sam's arm and making him turn around to face him.

"Don't, Dean! I'm not gonna let you go to hell, Dean!"

"Yes, you are!" Dean yelled back, causing Sam to stop, and stare at his brother. "Yes, you are," Dean repeated, calmly.

Sam looked down, breathing hard, trying to avoid his brother's gaze.

"I'm sorry. I mean this is all my fault, I know that. But what you're doing, it's not gonna save me. It's only gonna kill you," Dean explained.

"Then, what am I supposed to do?" Sam asked, tears in his eyes.

"Keep fighting. Take care of my wheels. Let the Scoobs help you. Sam, remember what Dad taught you, okay?" Dean said, putting his hands on Sam's shoulders, "And remember what I taught you."

Sam nodded, trying to hold back his tears.

Dean stepped back just in time for the clock to strike midnight. Dean closed his eyes, keeping back the tears that were pooling there.

Sam drew his eyes away from the clock, tears falling down his face. His big brother gave him a small smile. At the end of his life, Dean smiled, to show his baby brother that he would be okay. His smile broke Sam's heart.

"No," Buffy whispered, as she stepped into the living room. Her eyes were glued to the clock, tears streaming down her face. Her eyes darted to Dean, "NO!" She screamed in despair.

"I'm sorry, Dean. I wouldn't wish this upon my worst enemy," Ruby said, sympathetically.

Before Dean could reply, he started to hear the growl of hellhounds, dragging his attention to the giant dogs that were slowly approaching him.

"Hellhounds," he muttered.

"Where?" Faith asked, raising the Scythe for attack.

"There," Dean pointed before bolting from the room, closely followed by everyone else.

The group made it into the office in time for Sam and Faith to slam the door shut. They stood there, holding the doors closed as Dean lined the door with goofer dust, keeping the Hellhounds out of the little room.

"No, no, no," Buffy cried, tears coming down her face. Dean walked over to hear, and hugged her, tucking her head under his chin. Dean closed his eyes, and savoured the moment.

He stood there, with his perfect girl in his arms, and pretended that this moment was going to last forever. Dean stood in the middle of a war zone, holding Buffy Summers and pictured the life they would never live.

He pictured their wedding day.

_Buffy was stunning in a pristine white dress, walking down the aisle towards him. Her hair was up in loose curls that framed her face. She had her arm linked with Giles, a giant smile plastered on her face. Sam stood at his side, and Dawn was right across from him, doing her duty as maid of honour. Buffy got to the end of the aisle, and kissed Rupert on the cheek. A single tear fell from Giles' eye, "I am so proud of you, Buffy," He whispered, before giving her away. Dean took his future wife's hands, giving Giles a nod in thanks. She tilted back her head and smiled up at him lovingly, "last chance to run, Winchester," she said, with a smile. "Not a chance, blondie," he replied, with a smile of his own._

He pictured the first house they bought together.

_"Really?" Buffy asked, with a raised eyebrow, "A white picket fence? A bit cliché, don't ya think? Next thing, you'll probably want me cooking pie!" She exclaimed in mock horror. She stood in the drive way of their new home. The two story home was a 15 minute drive from Slayer Central, and a perfect house to start a family. "Wouldn't dream of it, Princess. Still paying off the last kitchen you practically burnt down," Dean replied. "Har har, very funny. I told you, that was a faulty wire!" Buffy explained, waddling over to Dean. Dean put his left arm around her shoulder, and using his right hand to rub his wife's pregnant belly. "Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart."_

And lastly, he pictured them as a family,

_"Okay, Honey, time for your next present," Buffy said happily, handing Robert, her 3 year old son, his Christmas present. The Scooby family were gathered in Buffy and Dean's living room. The room was heavily decorated, to match the Christmas season. "That one's from us," Dawn explained with huge smile, sitting next to Sam. They were newly engaged and were still in the lovey-dovey faze of their engagement. Buffy picked up a smaller present from under the tree, and went to sit on the arm of the chair Dean was relaxing in. In his arms, in a tiny little pink blanket was their daughter, and second child, Mary Joyce Winchester. Buffy carefully took MJ from his arms, and handed him the present, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Dean smiled at his wife, and looked around the room. He never thought he'd see the day he'd be surrounded by family, but here he was. His family might not all be blood, but this family loved, and cared about each other, and in the end, isn't that all that matters?_

Dean opened his eyes to face reality.

"Give me the knife, maybe I can fight them off," Ruby was shouting at Sam.

"What?" Sam asked, distracted by the sight of the blonde Slayer and his brother holding each other.

"Come on! That dust won't last forever." Sam took the knife, ready to hand it to Ruby.

"Wait!" Dean yelled, stepping away from Buffy.

"You wanna die?" Ruby asked, sarcastically.

"Sam, that's not Ruby! It's not Ruby." Dean explained, ignoring Ruby, and talking directly to his brother.

Ruby's entire facial expression changed, taking a more childlike appearance, making it obvious to everyone that Lilith had taken over.

Without touching anybody, Lilith mentally threw Sam, Faith and Buffy against the wall, painfully trapping them there.

"How long have you been in her?" Dean asked.

"Not long," She replied, looking down at her new body, "but I like it. It's all grown up and pretty." When she looked back at Dean, her eyes were a pristine white.

"Where's Ruby?" Sam grunted.

"She was a very bad girl, so I sent her far, far away." She replied.

She turned to Dean with a smile, and used her mental powers to punch Dean. He flew across the room, and landed solidly on the table. He tried to get up to defend himself, but found that he was pinned.

Lilith turned back to Sam, "Hello, Sam. I've wanted to meet you for a very long time."

"Leave him alone, Hell trash," Faith yelled in response.

Lilith walked briskly over to Faith, grabbing her face in a painful grip, "you may be protected by the Powers that Be, but that doesn't mean I can't have my fun," she replied in sickeningly sweet tone. She leaned closer to Faith's ear and whispered, "don't forget where your power comes from."

Pushing Faiths face away, Lilith walked over to Sam, kissing him. The sizzling sound of their lips meeting could be heard around the room.

"Mmm, your lips are soft," Lilith commented, pulling away.

"Okay, you got me. Let my brother go," Sam growled, pulling his face away from her.

"Silly goose. You wanna bargain, you have to have something that I want. You don't."

"So, is this your big plan, huh?" Dean yelled, "drag me to hell. Kill Sam. And then what? Become queen bitch?"

"I don't have to answer to puppy chow," Lilith replied, slowly walking over to the office door. She kept eye contact with Dean, as she opened the door, "Sic 'em, boys."

Sam looked to Dean and horror, and saw his big brother looking back, with the same look on his face. Dean turned to Buffy, one last time; "Buff-" was all he got out before the growling of Hellhounds brought his attention back to the office door.

The beast ran towards him, quickly pulling him from the table, causing him to scream in pain.

"No!" Sam and Buffy yelled in unison. "You God damned fucking bitch," Faith cried, tears running down her face, causing Lilith to laugh.

"Stop!" Sam yelled, as he watched the Hellhound rip into his brother.

All too quickly, the Hellhound had torn Dean apart. The floor was drenched in blood, and Dean's insides were clearly visible.

"NO!" Sam yelled, in terror. "Yes," Lilith replied, as she walked towards Sam. She raised her hand, white, blinding light spilling out, surrounding Sam.

Sam turned his head, waiting for death to come.

The light suddenly disappeared, retracting into Lilith's hand, leaving her confused and shocked. Her eyes turned back to their normal colour, the whiteness quickly fading.

Sam had huddled himself on the floor, with his arms wrapped around his head. He quickly realised he was still alive. He jumped up to a standing position, facing Lilith.

"Back," Lilith commanded.

Sam took a deep breath, and a hesitant step forward.

"I said, back!" Lilith yelled in panic. Sam picked up Ruby's knife, becoming more confident in his slow march toward Lilith.

"I don't think so," Sam replied. He raised his arm to strike, but before he had a chance to kill her, Lilithh quickly left the body, causing Buffy and Faith to drop the floor from their trapped positions against the wall.

Sam looked over at his brother, tears slowly coming down his face. "No..no..Dean," He said, tearfully, bending down to his brother.

Buffy slowly made her way to Dean's body. "Oh god. No," She murmered. Without warning, she collapsed to the ground, landing roughly on her knees. Her head bent to the ground, her arms wrapping around herself as she cried out in anguish. Faith made her way to Buffy, bending down to wrap her arms around her sister Slayer, holding her in her grief.

Sam sat on the ground, pulling his brother's dead body onto his lap. Tears were flowing freely down his face. He bent his head, causing his forehead to touch his brother's, gasping out his brother's name in sorrow, over and over again.

* * *

Dean was awoken by harsh screams. He looked around to see himself surround by chains, and a thick purple haze. Dean tried to struggle but was held in place by chains identical to the ones that surrounded him. Thunder and lightning crashed all around him, mixing with human screams that had woken him up.

"OH GOD! SOMEBODY HELP ME!," Dean cried in vain. "SAM? SAAAAAAAM!" Dean screamed until his throat was horse. After what seemed like hours, he hung his head in defeat, tears raining down his cheeks. He closed his eyes and remembered the last couple of months before his death. He tried to remember the good moments with Buffy, holding her in his arms, and making love to her. He tried to remember all of this, as whispered her name in reverence.

He eventually opened his eyes and found himself face to face with Buffy. "Hello there, Deano. Thinkin' about me?" Buffy asked, her eyes turning to black.


	11. Epilogue

Epilogue

**Four months later**

Dean's hand pushed through the dirt, slowly pulling his body to the surface. He opened his eyes, and immediately shut them again, the pain from the bright sun causing him to flinch.

Eventually he managed to open his eyes, and took in his surroundings. He took in his location, seeing nothing but knocked down trees, and started walking to find help.

_What the fuck is happening?_ He thought to himself as he begin the long walk back to civilisation

* * *

After convincing Bobby that he was really back, he asked the question that had been burning his brain since he woke up, "How's Buffy? Is she okay?"

"Son, I wish I could tell ya. I haven't spoken to any of them lot in three months," Bobby explained.

"What? Why?" Dean demanded angrily. "First Sammy, now this?" He asked sarcastically.

"These last months haven't been exactly easy, you know. For them or me. We had to bury you!" Bobby yelled back defensively.

"Why did you bury me?"

"I wanted you salt and burned, the usual drill. But Sammy wouldn't have it," Bobby replied.

"Well, I'm glad he won that one."

"He said you'd need a body when he got you back home somehow. That's about all he said."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, suspiciously.

"He was quiet. Real quiet. And then he just took off. Wouldn't return my calls. I tried to find him, but he didn't want to be found."

Dean jumped up from the table they were sitting at, "Oh damnit, Sammy!"

"What?"

"Oh, he got me home okay. But whatever he did, it is bad mojo. You should have seen the grave site. It was like a nuke went off. And then there was this... this force, this presence, I don't know, but it, it blew past me at a fill-up joint. And then this," Dean replied, lifting the sleeve of his shirt up to reveal a hand print burned into his skin. "C'mon, we gotta find him."

* * *

Dean and Bobby had found Sam easily enough, and cleared up that he had nothing to do with getting Dean out of Hell. They went to Pamela, a skilled physic, and a friend of Bobby's, to found out more information. She managed to obtain the name of the being that had saved Dean, at the cost of her eyes. Dean and Bobby had decided to confront the thing responsible for pulling Dean from the pit, and mutilating Pamela. The answer they got was less than expected. Dean was saved by an Angel.

The trio were back at Bobby's, and had spent the last hour arguing whether Castiel, the supposed Angel, had been lying or not. Dean had finally given in to Sam and Bobby's reasoning.

"Fine! Look, whataver. I don't want to talk about it anymore," Dean said with a shrug, running his hands through his hair.

"Dean, we gotta figure this out," Sam said, exasperated.

"Yeah, and we will, but first, I gotta go find Buffy. I gotta know she's alright."

Sam and Bobby looked at each other in worry. "Son, don't you think this might take precedence?" Bobby asked.

"No. No I don't." Dean said, grabbing his jacket and keys. "Sam, you comin' or stayin'?"

"Dean, wait," Sam said, stopping Dean from walking out the door. "I know where Buffy is. After you died, I decided to keep tabs on her. I figured it's what you would have wanted."

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" Dean asked, incredulously. He was thankful that his brother tried to do what was best for him, but was pissed it took him this long to mention it.

"Honestly? She got out. She isn't hunting anymore. She isn't even at the School anymore. She up and quit," Sam started hotly, "When you died, she lost it. Full on lost it. She spent a week staring at the wall, Dean. And now? She's got a job, a real job. She's normal. I figured, we breeze back in there, she'd drop everything and come back, and either she'd end up dead, or she'd have to watch you die all over again. She doesn't deserve that, Dean. She deserves normal," Sam finished, calming at the end, thoughts going to Dawn.

Not long after Buffy quit, Sam broke up with Dawn. The Winchesters were toxic, and he wasn't going to let Dawn get exposed to him anymore than she already did.

"That's not your god damn decision to make!" Dean yelled in response, "Tell me where she is Sam. Tell me now!"

"She's in New York."

* * *

Two days later, Dean was sitting at a coffee shop, directly across from an uppity Marketing Firm, smack bam in the middle of New York City. He had spent the better half of an hour trying to find the damn place.

He was nervous, more nervous than he'd like to admit. What if Sam was right? What if she was better off without him? _No,_ he thought, as he shook his head. She loved him. She proved that over and over again. She'd want to know he was alive. Even if she wanted to stay in New York, she'd wanna know the truth.

"You alright?" Sam asked across from him. He seemed to be taking great enjoyment out of Dean's emotional state.

"Shut up," Dean replied, taking a sip of coffee out of his tiny cup.

After three coffees, and two hours of waiting, Dean caught the sight of blonde hair. He looked closer, and smiled.

"Buffy," He breathed. Sam followed his eye sight, and found the blonde Slayer. His face split into a huge grin at the look of adoration on his big brothers face.

She looked amazing, Dean thought. Her face was alive, and happy. Buffy was wearing a pin stripe skirt, that ending just before her knees, and went up to her waist. Tucked into her skirt was an emerald green shirt, with black high heels that finished the outfit, making Buffy look both stunning and professional.

She was chatting on her mobile, as she exited her building, skilfully avoiding the other pedestrians.

Dean rose from his table, barely containing himself from running across the road, and scooping her up into a huge hug. He made it two steps away from his table, when his stomach dropped.

A handsome, tall man with dark brown hair, and an expensive suit came up behind Buffy, grabbing her by the waist, and kissing her on top of her head. Buffy turned to the newcomer and smiled even wider, if that was possible. She hung up the phone, and laced her hand with, who Dean could only assume, was her new boyfriend.

Dean stared at them as they made their way around the block, and out of his sight. He kept staring at the spot that he last saw her, not able to move. He felt like his heart had been crushed into a million pieces. Unshed tears burned his eyes.

Did she ever look that happy with him? Seeing her in the sun, smiling up at a normal guy that had a normal job, Dean couldn't help but think about how selfish he had been coming here to find her.

_All I can offer her is darkness. Darkness and death._

He heard Sam come and stand behind him, "Dean? You ok-"

"Don't," Dean said with a gravelly voice. "You were right, okay? We leave her alone. We leave her to be happy."

Dean turned to his brother, pushing his feelings down, "C'mon. We got a job to do."

The End.

 


End file.
